Child of Darkness, Children of Balance
by Black Raider
Summary: He knew he came from a strange background, but after becoming a DigiDestined's partner he knew his life would never be the same. Especially after being brought back from the dead by one of his most hated enemies. She knew she had a temper, but did that really mean she was a queen of darkness? How could she be expected to do good when she represented something evil?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

He only thought one thing while he did it: protect Kari and Gatomon.

No…..protect his friends, practically his family. The human and Digimon he held closest to his heart.

The _only _ones he held closest to his heart.

But he wasn't prepared for the pain that came. Myotismon's Grisly Wing seemed to pack more of a punch this time, meaning if he hadn't taken the hit then Kari and Gatomon would've been killed on impact. The shock from the pain left him speechless, his breath caught in his throat and his hat flying off his head. He hardly felt his back and head hit the concrete as he fell backwards.

Everything was very silent for a tense moment, broken by Myotismon's snide remark.

"Next time don't get in my way."

"Wizardmon!" Kari and Gatomon suddenly appeared, kneeling beside him. Gatomon already had tears pouring from her eyes and Kari was beyond worried. "You're gonna be all right. Please don't leave. Wizardmon!"

Finally, the wounded Digimon found the strength to speak and his gaze fell on Gatomon. Every piece of data in him felt numb; his strength was ebbing away fast, but he needed to speak to Gatomon, to his first and truest friend, one last time. He took in a shaky breath. "Are you…..all right, Gatomon?"

The cat Digimon continued to cry. "You saved me…I'm sorry."

"About what?" Wizardmon rasped.

"Sorry I got you involved in this." Gatomon sniffed.

Wizardmon smiled softly under his mask. "Don't be sorry. I don't have any regrets." He could feel his voice getting weaker, but he fought to stay alive just a little longer. "If I hadn't met you, my life would've had no meaning. I'm glad that you and I were friends."

Gatomon's tears increased greatly. "That's forever…." She promised.

Wizardmon took in one more shaky breath. "Thank you…..for everything…..Gatomon…..." His final words slipped out in a whisper and his head lolled to one side.

"Wizardmon? Are you okay? Please answer." Kari pleaded. But the wizard Digimon remained still and silent. "No….Wizardmon…..." The tears came fast and strong.

"_NO!"_

* * *

><p>Wizardmon bolted upright at Kari's scream, panting heavily. He looked down to see his clothes looking brand new instead of torn; even his hat rested on his head in one piece. He no longer felt weak or dying.<p>

"Kari, Gatomon!" he said, smiling softly. "I don't believe it. I'm alive!"

But the girls didn't answer. Kari suddenly caught her Digivice that Tai threw to her. Wizardmon watched, amazed, as Gatomon suddenly digivolved to an angelic Digimon called Angewomon.

"Wow!" Wizardmon breathed. "That's amazing! Well done, Kari!" But the girl still didn't answer. "Kari?" Wizardmon reached out to touch her but his hand suddenly went right through her. Wizardmon retracted his gloved hand and stared at it, realizing it was partially transparent. In fact, his entire body was translucent. "I'm not alive." He realized. "I'm really dead."

"Myotismon!" Angewomon's voice seemed to echo with power. "You've tried to destroy the DigiDestined, attempted to conquer earth, and killed my friend Wizardmon. In doing so you have ruined the lives of humans and Digimon alike. How can you justify yourself?"

"I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you!" Myotismon growled back. "It is my destiny to plunge this world into darkness and become king of the Digital World and no angel or Digimon has the power to stop me!"

Angewomon didn't answer, but she still looked plenty steamed. Wizardmon just watched, amazed, as the Digimon of the DigiDestined combined their powers into a Celestial Arrow that finally ended Myotismon once and for all. He cheered alongside the children, but also became concerned by the building shaking. Despite only a spirit, he ran after the children as they escaped the building, just in time as the spherical structure collapsed and crashed to the ground. He hung back at the door while the children gathered in the courtyard. Gatomon hung back as well, staring at the ground.

Kari turned to stare worriedly at her Digimon friend. "What is it, Gatomon?"

Gatomon looked up with new tears in her eyes. "Wizardmon sacrificed himself for us….and I couldn't stop it."

"No, Gatomon." Wizardmon insisted. "It's not your fault." He tried to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but once again found he went right through everything…like a ghost. Kari gently led Gatomon away and to the rest of the DigiDestined. Wizardmon stared after her, his heart breaking.

_I'm really dead. _He realized. _Myotismon got me. But then…..why am I still here? Why haven't I returned to the DigiWorld to be reborn?_

"Look up there!" T.K.'s voice caught his attention.

"The fog!" Kari cried. "It's getting thicker!" Wizardmon followed Kari's point to the sky to see her words rang true. "But, Myotismon is gone."

"Maybe not." Joe said. "Maybe he's still out there somewhere. What if we just made him stronger?"

"Stronger?" Wizardmon gasped. "You've got to be kidding me!" _I can't let them get hurt! But what can I do if I can't touch them and they can't see me? _He sighed. _Well, I can at least watch over them; that's all I can do for now._

* * *

><p>Turns out, watching over them was all Wizardmon needed to do; the DigiDestined really proved their worth with their final battle against Myotismon's Digivolved form. Then the monstrous Digimon dissolved to nothing. Unfortunately, the DigiDestined Children's worries were far from over; sections of the sky, like stripes, disappeared to reveal the DigiWorld. A rainbow of light appeared and Wizardmon could only watch as Kari, Gatomon, and the other DigiDestined left for the Digital World.<p>

"Good luck, Kari." Wizardmon prayed. "Good luck, Gatomon. Good luck to all of you, brave DigiDestined. I know you can defeat whatever evil is plaguing us." He sighed. "But now what do I do? I suppose I could search for a gateway to the Digital World, but for some reason I feel as though it will be impossible." He stared at the sky. "Am I cursed to be a ghost in this realm for all eternity? And if I am, why? Why can't I pass on peacefully or my data reconfigure to a new form? What's my purpose now?"

He never got an answer, so Wizardmon began wandering. He tried searching for some way back into the Digital World, but the gateway Myotismon used long since disappeared, and simply flying up into the sky didn't work. It was as though a wall prevented Wizardmon from going back to the Digital World, therefore greatly decreasing his chances of being reborn. Though discouraged and very sorrowful, the deceased Digimon tried to stay upbeat. For a while, he entertained himself greatly in zipping through solid walls of buildings. He even found joy in spooking a few people. But every time he looked up he found stripes still taken out of the sky. The DigiDestined were still in the Digiworld and probably in who knows how much trouble.

Suddenly, a strip of the Digital World seemed to dissolve out of the sky, leaving only stars. Wizardmon sighed. "It's happening so often tonight." He knew something was going on in the Digital World, but he didn't know whether good or bad. He only prayed that the children and their Digimon were doing okay.

"Kari. Gatomon." Wizardmon breathed. "I hope you're all right. But if I know you then I think you guys are doing great! I bet you're fighting some powerful dark Digimon up there." He sighed. "I wish I could be there with you; to help you fight."

He hated being stuck in the human world while everyone else he knew was over in the Digital World. He didn't even have a Bakemon or two to keep him company. Time worked so differently between the two realms. A few hours in this realm could very well mean a few years in the DigiWorld. Wizardmon stared up at one of the DigiWorld strips in the sky, wondering if the DigiDestined stood right above him. What he'd give to be by their side, fighting alongside them, looking out for them, telling them stories to keep their spirits up.

"Gatomon…." Wizardmon sighed. "I miss you, my friend."

Suddenly, the formally bright spots and strips of the Digital World went dark, and a menacing form appeared, looking like a demonic jigsaw puzzle with clawed arms. Wizardmon stared in horror.

"What in the good name of the Digital World is that?" he asked no one in particular. Then, he looked in another spot and found a familiar group of children. "The DigiDestined! Are they really going up against that thing?"

To his utter horror, the menacing form suddenly launched a great burst of electric energy, sending the DigiDestined spiraling away and out of view.

"NO!" Wizardmon shouted, shooting up into the sky. "Don't you touch them!" But when he hit the strip it was like running into a brick wall. He tumbled backwards, but moved forward and tried again. Each time, it was like a transparent wall blocked his path. "Leave them alone!" He hit the wall again and again, wanting nothing more than to break through it. Nothing he did left even the slightest dent. He found the DigiDestined again and pressed his hands against the barrier, staring in horror as they suddenly began breaking apart, like how most Digimon died. Before his eyes, they disappeared completely.

Shaking and finally feeling his strength ebbing away to nothing, Wizardmon allowed himself to float back down to the earth, resting on the roof of a building. _They're gone. They're really gone. I promised I'd protect Gatomon and the DigiDestined children and I failed. _"Gatomon…..Kari…."

_BOOM!_

Wizardmon's head shot up and he stared in shock and happiness. "They're alive!"

They were alive. And they were fighting the monster with their fully-digivolved Digimon. Attacks flew at rapid-fire. Great bursts of light sent shadows all around until the monster they fought seemed to compact itself into a black polyhedron. A bright light exploded from the shape, but the DigiDestined didn't seem afraid. They glared defiantly at the polyhedron, and suddenly a cube of golden light surrounded it. The shape exploded, but the cubical shield prevented any damage from coming. The spots and strips in the skies finally disappeared, giving way to a beautiful dawn to a new day. Every human around the world cheered, joyful it was all finally over.

But not everyone celebrated.

"Where are they?" Wizardmon scanned the skies. "Where are they?!" _What if something's happened to them? Did they make it out alive? Are they okay? Please, let them be all right!_

"_What's happening?"_

"_Who's driving this tin can?"_

"_Watch out! AAAAAHHHHHHH!"_

Wizardmon's eyes widened. "Kari!"

He took off flying through the city, following Kari's and the other children's voices through the early morning air. But he didn't have any idea where the voices came from. He just kept flying where the voices grew louder. He flew high into the air, where the voices seemed to be loudest. Wizardmon looked all around, but suddenly jumped when a large subway car went right through him, forcefully reminding him of his ghostliness. Still, he trailed after the flying car and smiled at the sight of the DigiDestined inside. Their Digimon, however, were nowhere in sight.

"Look, Kari." Tai said happily. "We're flying right over home."

"Take the wheel and steer us to San Francisco, Izzy." Joe ordered with a smile. "We did promise Gennai."

"Aye-aye!" Izzy nodded, running to the front of the car.

Kari stared out the window, the glass the only thing separating her from Wizardmon's spirit just outside. But he seemed to be completely invisible to her. Kari sighed softly. "You think we'll ever see Gatomon and the others again? Gennai _did _say the gate was closed forever."

"I think he's wrong." Matt said. "I'll bet the gate will open again someday soon and we'll see our Digimon again."

Wizardmon stared at the car for a moment before allowing it to keep going without him. He floated down to the ground, touching down on the broken remains of the bridge. He stared at the waters below him.

_The gate is closed? That's impossible. _Wizardmon blinked his tears away. _Gatomon…what happened? Where did you go?_

Sensing a presence, Wizardmon spun around and glared at a figure standing behind him, holding his hands ready to launch an attack. He relaxed only a little bit at the sight of the sickly-looking human. His skin looked gray and ashen, deep circles under his dark eyes. His slick black hair lay flat on his head and his bangs hung in his eyes a little. He wore a formal grey suit, looking like he just returned from a funeral.

"Who are you?" Wizardmon demanded, not lowering his fighting stance.

The man stared at him with dark, empty eyes. "A Digimon. But you're translucent, like a ghost."

"I'll ask again: who are you?" Wizardmon took a step forward, not sure if he could actually attack when a ghost but not really caring.

The man smiled, a crazed look coming to his eyes. "I am Oikawa Yukio." He suddenly looked to one side. "What's that? Wizardmon? Is that his name?"

Wizardmon narrowed his eyes. "Who are you talking to?"

Oikawa didn't answer. "Really? Are you sure? Will it hurt? Very well, my friend, you may come forward and use my form to your will."

Suddenly, Oikawa twitched and jerked, as though having a heart attack and a stroke at once. Wizardmon stared, not sure what he should or could do. The human's body gave a few violent spasms before stopping, his head hung. Wizardmon took another step forward, but Oikawa raised his hands and millions of particles of what looked like dust shot out, enveloping Wizardmon in the cloud. He shouted in pain, feeling as though his data bits were ripped apart. He fell to his hands and knees, shaking as the assault continued. Then, as soon as it started, it stopped, and Wizardmon found himself panting heavily. He stared at the ground for a moment before he realized his hands became full again, no longer translucent. In fact, his entire body looked and felt solid again.

"I'm back." He breathed. "I'm alive." He stared at Oikawa. "How? Why?"

"I simply took your data bits that had previously been scattered and reassembled them so you'd be whole again….so you will serve me." Oikawa's voice suddenly changed, sounding malicious.

Wizardmon narrowed his eyes and rose to his feet. "I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm afraid your request is not something I intend to follow nor grant. I will find a way to repay you, but now I must find an old friend." He turned to float away, racking his brain to remember where Kari and Tai's home rested.

Oikawa smirked evilly and raised a hand. _"Crimson Lightning."_ The red bolt shot out from his palm and grabbed Wizardmon, pulling him in so the human could grab the wizard Digimon's throat in his hand. Wizardmon's eyes went wide and he clawed at the hand around his neck. He strained and gasped for breath, but the man's grip remained firm. Then he noticed Oikawa's eyes change to a familiar shade of purple malice…..one he could recognize anywhere.

"Myotismon." Wizardmon growled/gasped, struggling to pry the human/Digimon's grip on his neck.

Oikawa/Myotismon chuckled darkly. "Does it hurt, little Wizardmon? Is it absolutely unbearable? Take the pain you're in now and multiply it by a thousand." His evil smile deepened to a sinister frown. "That is the pain I will inflict upon Gatomon, her trainer, and every other DigiDestined Child if you don't do as I say."

Wizardmon narrowed his eyes. "Y-y-you wouldn't d-dare."

Myotismon smirked. "Really? Surely you know me better than that."

Wizardmon growled a little, but Myotismon's grip tightened, and the smaller Digimon gasped in pain. _I can deal with this kind of pain. But those children don't deserve any more pain after what Myotismon did to them! I can't let Gatomon or Kari or any of the children feel this!_ "All right!" He gasped, straining for a full breath of life-giving air. "Okay! I'll d-do what y-you ask!"

Myotismon smirked. "I knew you'd see reason." He released Wizardmon, who hit the ground hard and inhaled deeply, coughing harshly and his throat burning. Myotismon paced around Wizardmon, as though a vulture circling some carrion. "Now, I have a plan. A plan that will bring me back to power where I belong. But I need to make sure those wretched DigiDestined don't get in my way. I have discovered that a new set of DigiDestined children will be chosen in a few years. But instead of eight…there will be nine."

Wizardmon rubbed his throat and glared at Myotismon. "What…..are you talking about?"

"I'm going to create my own DigiDestined. With these." Myotismon reached into his pocket and pulled out a Digivice, tag, and Crest. The Digivice and tag looked like the other DigiDestined children's, but the Crest was black as obsidian, with a symbol etched into it in the shape of a crescent moon with a star resting on the inside of the curve.

"What is that?" Wizardmon was more curious than angry now.

"A genuine Digivice, tag, and Crest." Myotismon said. "It's the Crest of Darkness. And you are going to find a child to become my DigiDestined with you as his Digimon fighter."

"And if I don't?" Wizardmon spat defiantly.

Myotismon chuckled darkly. "Then everyone you hold dear will die and you will get a front row seat to watch. Simple as that." He turned with a sinister smirk. "Do we have an understanding?"

Wizardmon didn't want to do it. He'd rather die than do what Myotismon wanted. But he couldn't put the lives of his friends in danger; and as long as Myotismon lived he could do damage to the people Wizardmon cared about. So he sighed and accepted the tag, Crest, and Digivice from Myotismon. "I understand."

"Very good." Myotismon nodded. "I will leave the finding and training of the child to you; but I will be checking up on your progress."

"And what sort of child am I supposed to look for?" Wizardmon demanded, rising to his feet.

"Any child." Myotismon instructed. "Young, but not too young. Perhaps similar in age to Gatomon's little Kari. Just find a child and promise them anything they wish in return for training you."

"Will you be able to deliver such a promise?"

"What?"

"Well how can I promise something if you or I cannot deliver?"

"Just do it!"

Wizardmon sighed. "Very well."

"Good." Myotismon nodded as he turned to walk away. "You have three days." With that, he disappeared. Wizardmon stared at the Crest and Digivice in his hand, wanting so badly to throw them away. But the fear of harm coming to his friends kept him from doing so. He clenched his fist around the objects in his hand, squeezing his eyes shut and growling to himself.

He soon straightened up and sighed, tucking the objects away in one of his pockets. He floated off the bridge and down to the harbor, stopping several yards from Myotismon's old island hideout. He held a hand out, concentrating, and within seconds his staff shot from the waters and into his hand. Wizardmon sighed, relieved to have his old weapon back in his hands. But there was little time for relief with his new task at hand, and he knew it couldn't hesitate.

"Well, time to find the DigiDestined Child of Darkness." He decided, flying off towards the city. "I only hope the new DigiDestined will be able to fight back."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello! I am new to the Digimon Fanfiction section but a long-time Digimon fan, and I recently was able to find the episodes online and started watching them again. My all-time favorite episodes are the ones with Wizardmon in the first season, and I like many other fans cried when he was killed. Ever since I was a kid, Wizardmon was always my favorite character. So I wanted to work something out to get him alive again but also make sure the storyline made sense for the second season (which I like, but not as much as I love the first season). So, here it goes! I may have made slight adjustments based on the dialogue I see for the English and Japanese dubs. Also, there are some references to the other seasons, but if I don't explicitly say so then the reference is unintentional.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will be posting chapters as much as I can. For now, I'd like to know how interested you are in this story! Thanks!**


	2. Run Yolei Run

**A/N: For future reference: every chapter will have a title like the one you see below, and the chapters that show the characters in the TV episodes will be indicated. Hope you guys enjoy! BTW, chapter lengths vary; do not expect certain page length for each chapter.**

* * *

><p><strong>Episode 18: Run Yolei Run<strong>

Four years. It had been four years to the day.

Four years since she traveled to the realm of humans.

Four years since she found the person she waited for her entire life.

Four years since she finally broke away from Myotismon.

…

Four years since she watched Wizardmon die before her eyes.

Gatomon rested in Kari's arms, her chin on the human's shoulder. Kari long since left her roses at the station and held Gatomon close, gently rubbing her fur. Gatomon kept staring at the TV station as they walked away, Wizardmon's words swimming about in everyone's brains. But the one thing that stood out was the fact she actually saw Wizardmon for the first time in years. She thought for sure that she'd see him in the Digital World, reborn through a Digi-Egg. But she never found him. Then the Digimon Emperor attacked and everything fell apart. Of all her friends, she missed Wizardmon the most. He was the only one who could break through her cold heart and helped her find Kari. Then he went so far as to give his life to protect her. She missed him; she missed him more than anything in the world.

Gatomon sniffed, rubbing her face into the crook of Kari's shoulder. Kari sighed sadly and rubbed the cat Digimon's back soothingly. "Gatomon?" Everyone paused when Kari suddenly stopped walking, and they stared sadly at Gatomon's quivering form.

"Kari…" Gatomon sobbed. "I miss him."

Kari felt tears coming to her eyes too, but she blinked them away and held Gatomon close. "I know, Gatomon. I miss him too."

They resumed walking, continuing their journeys to their homes. Gatomon couldn't walk on her own, still very much distraught over losing Wizardmon once again. The original DigiDestined all felt similar sadness, the pain from losing Wizardmon returning after four years. But they knew Wizardmon just gave them the key to their victory in the battle for the Digital World, so they had to use this new information to make a plan of attack.

Still, it didn't numb the pain.

Gatomon's thoughts lingered on Wizardmon all through the night and into the next day, when the new and old DigiDestined gathered to evaluate the situation in the Digital World. Izzy and Cody finally returned after a couple hours and reported seeing the area they searched covered in Control Spires. In fact, there was a trail of Control Spires snaking through the Digital World, indicating the Digimon Emperor's clear intent to completely take over.

_I can only imagine how Wizardmon would look if he was controlled by the Emperor. _Gatomon thought. _He'd look pretty scary. _"If we could only destroy that base." True, the upside of Izzy's group search was they found a Digimon Emperor base.

"Wait a minute. That's it!" Kari realized. "If we destroy the Emperor's headquarters then the Control Spires will be useless."

"That makes a lot of sense." T.K. agreed.

"So why are we sitting around here like a bunch of yahoos?" Davis urged. "I say we go to the Digital World, find his base and rip it up. Right DemiVeemon?"

"Right!" DemiVeemon agreed.

"What do you want to do?" T.K. demanded. "Walk up there and say 'Excuse me, do you mind if we take a couple of minutes and tear down this building?'"

"Well, all right." Davis seemed to understand. They couldn't necessarily go with a direct approach this time. "I suppose we have to come up with some sort of plan."

Gatomon knew she should've been paying more attention, but things just ended up becoming blurred. From what she _could _gather from Kari, it seemed that the older DigiDestined were going to go camping while the younger DigiDestined pretended to go camping while actually going to the DigiWorld. They all agreed they wouldn't leave the Digital World until they finally defeated the Digimon Emperor.

That night, after Kari packed a bag for herself and Gatomon, the two of them settled down for a good night's sleep.

But Gatomon didn't sleep well. She kept tossing and turning, moaning in her sleep. "No…no…..please…..Wizardmon…"

* * *

><p>"Grisly Wing!"<em> Myotismon put all his power in his attack. Gatomon found herself frozen in the spot, unable to move and dodge the attack.<em>

_Suddenly, Wizardmon leaped between the attack and the cat Digimon, taking the full impact of the blow. He fell backwards and hit the ground, lying there limply. Gatomon rushed forward, everything else disappearing to whiteness around her. She held Wizardmon's head in her paw, tears streaming down her cheeks._

"_Wizardmon." Gatomon whimpered. "Please….please don't die."_

_Wizardmon stared at Gatomon, his eyes sparkling as he smiled softly. "It's okay, Gatomon. I'm not hurting anymore."_

"_Don't leave me, Wizardmon." Gatomon pleaded. "Please."_

"_You'll be okay, little Gatomon." Wizardmon's voice became weaker with every word. "Thank you for being my friend."_

"_Wizardmon, please." Gatomon's tears increased greatly._

"_Thank….you…." Wizardmon's eyes closed and he became limp._

_Gatomon stared in shock. "Wizardmon….no….NO!"_

* * *

><p>"Gatomon!" Kari shook the cat Digimon. "Gatomon! Wake up!"<p>

Gatomon gasped as she woke up, panting heavily. When she saw Kari's concerned face, she leaped up and wrapped her arms around the human's neck, shaking terribly. Kari held her Digimon close, rubbing her fur.

"He was right there…" Gatomon said between sobs. "I had to watch him die. I couldn't do anything!"

Kari shushed Gatomon gently. "Gatomon. Wizardmon's death was not your fault; it wasn't anyone's fault except Myotismon's. You can't keep blaming yourself for this. Wizardmon wouldn't want you to."

Gatomon sniffed and wiped her eyes dry. "I know. But it still hurts, Kari."

"I know, Gatomon." Kari sighed, blinking her tears away. "I know it hurts. But it'll go away, I know it will."

Gatomon sighed. Kari kept Gatomon close as she returned to bed, the two of them returning to a restless sleep.

* * *

><p>The Dark Tyrannomon, Kuwagamon, and Tuskmon continued their assault on each other, snarling and roaring and causing quite a commotion. The Digimon Emperor watched through his numerous monitors, chuckling darkly.<p>

"I'm afraid there's one thing I just don't understand." The Digimon Emperor admitted to Wormmon beside him.

"What's that, Master?" Wormmon asked.

"Why don't the Digimon just surrender?" The Digimon Emperor chuckled darkly again. "It would make my job so much easier."

Wormmon moaned worriedly as his partner continued to laugh. Then, he noticed something. "Um, Master? I think you should see this."

The Digimon Emperor halted his laughter and stared at the screen. The Digimon stopped fighting, staring at a small figure in the middle of the fight. Even when picking up a remote and zooming in on the figure, not much could be made out. But the Digimon Emperor could see the sword at their hip and the Wizardmon hat on their head.

"A Wizardmon?" he murmured.

"He may have the hat, but I never knew a Wizardmon that wears white." Wormmon mused.

The Digimon Emperor stared at the strange creature for a moment. "Hmm…no matter. I'll just send the Dark Tyrannomon after them." He gave the order, and the black dinosaur Digimon ran forward to attack the creature. But the first one hardly touched the creature before it jumped up to dodge the attack. The creature landed on Dark Tyrannomon's head and smashed their fist into the dinosaur's skull, sending him into a daze and destroying the Dark Ring with their sword. The evil Digimon continued forward, but the creature took each one down with a swift fist, a hard kick, or a quick slice with their sword. The Digimon Emperor stared in shock. The creature continued to take down the Digimon, destroying the Dark Rings until every single one was finally free.

"Master, with all due respect, I think the best course of action is to leave." Wormmon whimpered.

The Digimon Emperor growled. "I am not afraid of some pathetic creature! What more can they do?" In response, the monitors' screens became full of lines, like cracks. The Emperor noticed rocks flying into each of the screens, cracking them and preventing him from seeing what was happening. "Set up the invisibility shield and take off! We have to get out of here!"

"Gladly!" Wormmon whimpered.

The creature paused in their attacks when the base suddenly disappeared. They humph-ed in irritation. "Well that didn't work out well."

The Digimon seemed very surprised that the creature turned out to be a female. But one of the Tuskmon came up and power to her. "We are indebted to you for freeing us from the Digimon Emperor."

The creature didn't show her face, but even her aura seemed to smile. "You owe me nothing. Just get out of here while you can." The Dark Tyrannomon, Tuskmon, and Kuwagamon didn't need to be told twice as they hurried away. The creature chuckled good-heartedly as she sheathed her chisa katana. "Well they seemed happy to be gone." She paused. "No. It wasn't any trouble. I told you, I know what I'm doing. I took years of martial arts classes and this sword is as sharp as they come. Very effective in both the human world and this one." The creature clearly didn't speak to anyone near her, seeing how the entire area was deserted. Still, she spoke as though an old friend stood beside her. "No sign of the DigiDestined since yesterday when they were with that Tentomon and Armadillomon. Are you sure you don't want me revealing myself to them?" Another pause, then she sighed. "Very well. Why don't we take a break for a while? I'm hungry and I left my lunch back at that tree." She walked off, her hat shielding the sun from her face and her raven hair swishing behind her.

* * *

><p>Gatomon liked to climb Kari's bookshelf back home so she could look out across the room and feel like queen of the world. But climbing up a steep mountain just to find some stupid Digimon Emperor base? She'd rather be at home in bed. She was also very concerned about Yolei, who seemed as hyperactive as a toddler on a sugar rush. Gatomon feared the teen may fall off the mountain and even Hawkmon wouldn't be able to help. Things only got worse when Tentomon reported that the Digimon Emperor's base disappeared.<p>

"His base was right here!" Cody insisted. Contrary to his words, the entire area looked completely deserted.

"Maybe it was a mobile home." T.K. joked lightly.

"Since he was leaving he could've done the polite thing and taken those Control Spires with him." Armadillomon added.

Gatomon sighed a little, looking up to check on Yolei. "Has anyone seen Yolei?"

"Look down there." Kari pointed and everyone followed her gaze to see Yolei and Hawkmon sliding down the side of the mountain, the former whooping and cheering while the latter very much concerned. Everyone gasped/groaned, but decided it would be best to follow and took the more careful route down after Yolei and Hawkmon. But there was nothing to indicate the base once rested there besides the massive crater in the ground.

"Are you sure you saw it?" Davis asked. "Maybe it was a garage."

"You mean a mirage?" Cody corrected.

"No." Davis defended. "I meant a place where the Digimon Emperor keeps his car."

"How can a whole building simply disappear into thin air?" T.K. wondered aloud.

"Maybe Ken's friends with a really good magician." Kari suggested, half-jokingly.

"What do we do?" Patamon asked.

"We keep on looking." T.K. determined. "We promised not to leave until the base was destroyed."

"Leave it to me." Davis assured. "I'll find his headquarters. All we have to do is follow the building tracks in the dirt."

"Up here!" Yolei called, and everyone turned to stare as she scurried like a squirrel to the top of a nearby spire.

Gatomon's ears flattened, sighing. "I think Yolei's really lost it."

"You said it." Kari agreed.

Suddenly, Gatomon's ears perked up again, and she turned towards the forest several hundred yards away. She glared at the tree line, flexing her claws.

"You okay, Gatomon?" Veemon asked.

"I don't know why but I get the strangest feeling we're being watched." Gatomon reported.

"I think we're all just a little skittish." Kari assured.

"I think we need to be more worried about Yolei possibly hurting herself." Cody sighed. They jumped at a crashing and growling sound and rushed to the edge of the crater, gasping in shock at the sight of a humongous, monster-like spider Digimon charging for Yolei.

"Oh no!" Hawkmon groaned. "It's the dreaded Dokugumon! He's an insect type Digimon whose special attack is Poison Thread. You don't want to get caught up in his web!"

Yolei, quickly reduced from brave and strong to very much afraid, could only let out a terrified scream. Her screams echoed out to the forest surrounding the area, and seconds later a shadow began darting through the trees towards her voice. Flashes of sunlight through the foliage revealed it to be the creature from before.

"I know it's not a good idea to be following them." she said. "But I can't just ignore a cry like that." But by the time she reached the tree line, she had to skid to a halt at the sight of a large eruption of fire coming from the crater. "Whoa! What a blast! You think they're okay? What's that? Where?" She turned to see a group of children and Digimon gathered at another spot on the tree line. "What do we do?" A pause. "Are you serious? What if they need help? Yes I know they're resourceful but….ugh, fine. But I think we should be keeping an eye on them. Can you at least agree to that?"

Veemon, recently dedigivolved back to his Rookie form, journeyed to the others immediately after finishing with Dokugumon. "How's Hawkmon?"

Davis turned to his Digimon partner. "I think he'll be all right. We wrapped him up in bandages. Now we just have to keep him safe until he heals. He sure was brave saving Yolei like that."

Yolei sat off to one side, sobbing uncontrollably. Everyone stared sadly for a moment before Kari rose and took a few steps towards the purple-haired girl. "Yolei?"

Yolei continued to sob for a few moments before rising to her feet, her fists clenched. "I'll stay here and take care of Hawkmon, okay? You guys go out and find the Emperor's headquarters."

"But—" Davis started.

"I don't want to cause trouble for anyone else!" Yolei sobbed as she came to them. "Please just go!"

Everyone stared in shock for a moment until T.K. stood and said "All right then. We'll see you later." Yolei seemed surprised, but Davis and Cody voiced their agreements albeit reluctantly.

"I'll stay here." Kari offered.

"You will?" Yolei gasped.

"More of the Digimon Emperor's slaves might attack." Kari reasoned. "So we better have Gatomon around as a bodyguard."

"Good point." Gatomon agreed.

"All right." T.K. decided. "If anything happens we can always email each other. And you'll always know where we are through the D3s. If we haven't found the base by nightfall, we'll come back here, okay?"

"Okay." Kari waved as the boys left. Yolei seemed to be in a much better mood as Kari turned to her. "Hey Yolei."

"What?" Yolei asked.

"Well, I know you're trying to do what's right and win this battle and everything." Kari said. "But you're going about it the wrong way. I tried the same thing one time, but I was wrong too."

Yolei seemed surprised, but smiled in understanding. "We have to work together as a team. Right Kari?"

Kari smiled too. "Now you get it."

"Well I'm glad we got _that _straightened out." Gatomon said. "Now I'm going to see if I can find some herbs for Hawkmon."

"Hurry back!" Yolei requested. Gatomon nodded and walked off into the forest, keeping a keen eye out for something to help with Hawkmon's wounds. Then, she caught a whiff of a familiar, wonderful scent.

"Catnip!" Gatomon cheered, running towards a patch of the lovely green plant. She immediately grabbed a paw full and yanked on it, but the plant's roots stayed firm. She dug her heels into the ground and pulled with all her might, but the plants wouldn't come loose. Gatomon groaned and pulled for several minutes, but the catnip didn't come up. "How strange. I guess catnip in the Digital World is stronger than the stuff in Kari's world." Suddenly, she felt that same feeling from before; that someone watched her.

Someone right behind her.

Gatomon jumped and held her claws ready, glaring at the trees around her. A shadow shot all around, darting from one tree to another. Then, the figure stopped in the deep shadows behind the catnip. Gatomon held her claws ready, narrowing her eyes. But even with her enhanced cat eyesight, she couldn't make heads or tails of the creature's identity. Suddenly, Gatomon heard the unmistakable sound of metal on wood, and she saw a flash of light from a blade. Gatomon prepared to strike, but the sword suddenly sliced through the catnip and sent it flying into the air. The sword disappeared, back into its sheath Gatomon assumed, and a pair of pale hands reached out to catch the catnip as it fell. The hands jerked a little towards Gatomon.

"You want me to take it?" Gatomon guessed. The hands jerked again, as though to confirm it. Gatomon came forward and took the catnip. She stared at the hands, noting how they looked suspiciously like human hands. "Who are you?"

The shadow stayed still for a moment before it vanished, leaving an open space. Gatomon stared for a moment before returning to the girls, her arms full of the catnip. _I wonder who that strange figure was. They must be a friend if they were willing to help me. But then why wouldn't they show their face? _She sighed. "We already have enough on our plate with the Digimon Emperor. We don't need another problem."

* * *

><p>Kari hummed as she wandered into the forest, searching for more catnip. She left Gatomon with Hawkmon and Yolei, at her request because of Gatomon's report of a strange shadow in the forest. Kari stopped humming and sighed softly.<p>

"With all the things happening now, it's hard to know for sure who we can trust." Kari spoke her thoughts. "This shadow may have helped us now, but how do we know he or she doesn't work for the Digimon Emperor? It seems all of our old allies have left us. I've seen very few of the Digimon I knew while in the Digital World the first time around." She looked up and around at all the trees. "I don't know if anyone is listening to me, but I really need some help."

_Snap._

Kari jumped and spun around, searching for the one who stepped on the twig. But she saw nothing. "Who's there? I'm warning you; I have the power of the DigiDestined on my side and I'll let it out." Nothing came to greet her, but she also sensed nothing left either. Then, quick as a wink, she scooped up a stone and threw it as hard as she could. She heard an audible _thump _and a yelp of pain, followed by the hard _thud _of someone falling over. Kari marched up to the source of the sounds, glaring. "I don't know who you are, but you better stop spying on us if you know what's good for you." She paused when she saw a shadow shuffling, as though in fear, away from her. Her face softened. "Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?" She knelt down, smiling softly. "I'm sorry I threw the rock; I thought you were with the Digimon Emperor. But you're not, are you?" The top of the shadow moved as though to shake its head. Kari's smile grew. "Will you come out please? I want to make sure I didn't hurt you too much."

The shadow shook its head feverishly. Kari stepped forward, but the shadow scooted back farther. A spot of moonlight shone through the trees, leaving just enough light that Kari noticed navy blue fabric and a skull symbol. It was a symbol she recognized.

Kari gasped softly. "Is it really you?"

The shadow suddenly darted away without a word, leaving Kari to stare after it. _Was it him? Was it really him?_

_Wizardmon?_


	3. An Old Enemy Returns

**Episode 19: An Old Enemy Returns**

Patamon thought for sure that he wouldn't get used to being Pegasusmon instead of Angemon. But when he flew through the air as he did now, he began to realize it wasn't so different. And now he could carry T.K. on his back instead of in his arms.

"I still think we should've told the others before we left." Submarimon said as he swam in the river below.

"It may be none of my beeswax," Tentomon added, looking to T.K. "But why didn't you ask Davis to come with us?"

"I didn't want to leave Kari and Yolei alone anymore." T.K. said, obviously still worried. "Don't worry, he'll understand."

"I'm just glad I'm not going to be the one to tell him." Tentomon said. T.K. inwardly chuckled, imagining Davis' shocked reaction. But after hearing of a strange shadow watching the girls last night, he didn't feel safe just leaving them alone, and Davis would jump at the chance of protecting Kari in a heartbeat. At the same time, they needed to find the Digimon Emperor's base soon. Unfortunately, the five of them didn't see anything for a while. Even when Kari, Nefertimon, Yolei, and Halsemon came to join them, nothing could be found. But it was a little amusing to discover they left Davis and Veemon in the dust, considering the little blue dragon Digimon couldn't digivolve to something that flew.

"We've been flying for hours and we haven't seen a thing." Pegasusmon groaned.

"I'll check with Cody and see if he's seen anything." T.K. said, sending the younger boy a quick email.

Beneath the waves, Cody lay comfortably inside Submarimon as they patrolled the waters. "What did T.K. say?" Submarimon asked.

"They haven't spotted anything from up above." Cody reported.

"Well we haven't seen much of anything either except seaweed." Submarimon would've shrugged if possible. "Maybe we should turn back."

Cody was about to agree when he noticed a large rock formation. Upon further investigation it turned out to be an almost L shaped rock with little domes, almost like windows, dotted around it. "What _is _that thing?"

"Let's dig a little further." Submarimon suggested, swimming towards the strange rock. "This thing is enormous! It makes Texas look like Rhode Island. It has to be the Digimon Emperor's base."

"I'll let T.K. know that we found it." Cody paused with his eyes widening a bit in surprise. "Hey Submarimon, check that out."

The submarine Digimon looked and discovered an opening into the base. Not only that, two figures approached it from another direction. He could only recognize a Dolphmon that dragged another figure behind him. The second figure was dark as a shadow, but Cody and Submarimon could see the shadow nod and wave, as though in thanks, as the Dolphmon swam off. The shadow disappeared into the cave that led inside the base. Cody stared intently at where the shadow once rested, the gears in his brain churning overtime.

"What do you think that was?" Submarimon asked. Cody didn't answer for a while. He sent a quick email to T.K. about their location and they continued on. "Hey Cody." Submarimon said. "You've gone awfully quiet."

"I was just thinking." Cody explained. "Remember when Kari and Gatomon told us about the shadow that spied on them? At first, we believed that it worked for the Digimon Emperor. I know it's crazy, but I have a theory that the shadow we just saw was the same shadow Gatomon and Kari saw. And if it's sneaking into the base, then maybe the shadow is on our side."

"And what exactly did you base this on?" Submarimon asked.

"I'm not sure." Cody admitted. "Just a feeling I guess." _Usually I don't go with just feelings; I always have some sort of proof or logic to follow. But I've never felt surer of something like this. I think there's more to this shadow than meets the eye. Still, we'll have to be careful in case it's an enemy._

* * *

><p>The shadow slipped into the base, taking a quiet, deep breath of fresh air and wringing out her Wizardmon hat. "Didn't think I could hold my breath for so long. Thank goodness for that Dolphmon for helping us, huh?" The shadow continued on, staying in the darkness so to avoid detection. "I wonder what the Digimon Emperor has in store this time. Are you sure we can trust him?" Again, not another soul stood near the shadowy creature, yet she spoke as though a companion journeyed beside her. "I'm sure we can handle this. I'm not afraid of the Digimon Emperor. But if your plan doesn't work, if the DigiDestined can't show him the way, what are we supposed to do?"<p>

A lack of response made the shadow pause. She sighed. "I guess we'll find out when we cross that bridge, huh?" She smiled warmly. "Keep your hopes up. We'll make it." She continued through the shadows, but suddenly froze to a stop. Her breathing hitched and she gasped, falling to her knees. "I'm fine. But I feel something. An intense darkness." She suddenly grinned maliciously. "It feels good. I can feel it seeping into my very soul." The shadow kept smiling evilly until something felt like a slap to the face. "Oh. Right. Sorry about that. You weren't kidding with that whole 'influence of darkness' thing, huh?" She took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm calm. I'm good." She took one more breath to make sure, then smirked in confidence. "Let's do this."

* * *

><p>"I'm tired." Armadillomon complained as he and Cody ran up some stairs. "Don't they have an escalator in this place?"<p>

The two of them stopped at a window and looked through it, noticing a large, circular room and a machine stretching from the top to the bottom, both shrouded in blackness. "Whoa." Cody breathed.

"My thoughts exactly." Armadillomon agreed.

"This has to be the engine room." Cody rationalized.

"I say we destroy this place once and for all." Armadillomon suggested.

"We will." Cody assured. "But let's take a look around first."

"All right, if you say so." Armadillomon said. "Hey, you think it's kinda cold in here?"

"Not especially." Cody shrugged.

Armadillomon rubbed his arm. "That's weird. 'Cause I can't seem to warm myself up. The chill of evil's in the air."

Cody rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic." He gasped softly and narrowed his eyes.

"Cody?" Armadillomon asked. "Well now look who's being dramatic."

"I saw it again." Cody said. "That shadow. It's making me more and more nervous every time it shows up."

"Why's that?" Armadillomon asked.

"Just recently we saw the ghost of a Digimon, that Wizardmon." Cody explained. "And now we're seeing that shadow almost everywhere we go. You think it's possible it's Wizardmon's ghost watching us?"

"If it is, we don't have to worry." Armadillomon assured. "The old DigiDestined trust Wizardmon, so I think it's safe to say we can too. If it turns out the shadow is Wizardmon's ghost, then we should be thankful that he's such a good friend. He's watching over us like a guardian angel."

Cody smiled warmly. "Good point, Armadillomon. Maybe you're right; maybe it _is _Wizardmon and he's protecting us." He turned and continued walking. "Come on. Let's keep going."

* * *

><p>The Digimon Emperor chuckled to himself as his ship drifted closer and closer to the Dark Pool. "Now, into the Dark Whirlpool."<p>

Wormmon's concerned look seemed to deepen, if even possible. It's when his master began to laugh maniacally did he really get worried. _Oh Ken. Please don't make a mistake. I don't want to lose you._

Unbeknownst to them, the shadowy creature stood just outside the door, pressed against a wall and eavesdropping on them. "I'll give that Digimon Emperor something to laugh about." She growled softly. She started pulling out her chisa katana when she paused. "What do you mean 'don't attack'? Are there rocks in your brain? I think you've been stuck inside me too long. Why don't you shut up and leave me alone?" She blinked in surprise, sheathing her sword and staring at the ground. "Wow. That came out of nowhere. Sorry about that. It's so strange; the closer we get to that pool the stronger the darkness seems to become. It's even starting to overwhelm _me." _She frowned. "Let's poke around somewhere else; maybe going deeper into the base will block out some of the darkness." She disappeared, without the Digimon Emperor ever knowing.

The base finally broke through the waters and floated inside the whirlpool. All around floated spirits and ghosts and other spooky things, but the Digimon Emperor remained undeterred. "Just look at it, Wormmon. Isn't it beautiful?"

"It looks more scary than beautiful, Master." Wormmon gulped. The Emperor didn't respond, staring intently at the blackness that shrouded the bottom of the pool. Wormmon looked up at him. "Master?"

"Hm?" The Emperor seemed to just realize he was staring.

"Are you all right?" Wormmon asked.

"Never been better." The Emperor assured. "Initiate the attack!" A hatch opened in the base, and a trio of robot Digimon floated out. But suddenly, an invisible force seemed to catch them and dragged them down into the depths of the pool, their screams echoing to nothing. "What's going on? They're gone!" the Emperor growled. "How'd that happen?!" He glared at the blackness the Digimon disappeared to. "Sector A, report." No response came. "Sector B, come in!" Still, no response. "Sector C! Where is everybody?"

"They were never very good at spelling." Wormmon shrugged. The Digimon Emperor growled and marched off. "Where are you going?"

"If you want something done right, do it yourself." The raven-haired boy replied. Wormmon stared worriedly after him.

* * *

><p>"This base is huge!" the shadowy creature groaned. "How are we supposed to find anything of use in here?" She continued to run for several minutes before stopping to catch her breath. Then, she paused. "Can you feel that? Something's wrong. The Digimon Emperor's about to do something really stupid; he's going too close to the darkness of the pool." She resumed her running. "We have to find someplace safe to connect with his mind and find out what's going on." The creature paused. "What? Where?" She found a door up ahead and pushed through it, running and leaping off a catwalk. She landed on something hard, which she assumed was just another storage box. "Perfect. Nobody will find us in here." She sat down and cross her legs, resting her hands on her knees and closing her eyes. She concentrated on the Digimon Emperor's energy, searching for him throughout the base. <em>Once I connect with him, my senses will synchronize with his. Maybe then we can find out what's going on.<em>

Within the whirlpool, the Digimon Emperor drove one of his robot Digimon farther and farther down, much to the discomfort of Wormmon. But then, he stopped at the sight of the top half of a large, humanoid Digimon, all black with fangs and wings. The scanner told the Emperor that it was called Devimon.

"Perfect." The Emperor activated a sort of vacuum and began absorbing the Digimon before him. "I'll take what I need from this Digimon then my Digimon will be completed."

The shadow, now seeing and hearing everything from the Emperor's point of view, could only frown. "The fool doesn't realize a good Digimon when he sees it. Is Wormmon not—" She was suddenly interrupted but a new voice; this one deep and radiating with creepiness.

"_Are you sure?"_

The Digimon Emperor and the shadow gasped softly, surprised by the disembodied voice.

"_Do you really believe you can control the powers of darkness?"_

"All right, who are you?" the Digimon Emperor demanded.

"_I am here to warn you. Beware the darkness."_

From there, the shadowy creature could no longer concentrate. She opened her eyes and broke the mediation, no longer connected to the Digimon Emperor. She stared at the ground, or at least she assumed it was the ground; it was too dark to really see anything. But she could still reach into her collar and touch the necklace hanging around her neck. The creature fingered the string for a while, clearly troubled.

"You always told me I was chosen for a reason." The creature told her imaginary friend. "That it was my destiny to carry this with me. But then why am I so affected by the darkness, especially now, all of a sudden? I feel like I'm not on the enemy's side, but at the same time I don't feel like I belong with those DigiDestined kids. Am I _supposed _to be evil? Or am I just weird?" She sighed. "Can't tell, can you? You're holding secrets from me and I don't appreciate it. We agreed that we'd tell each other everything and yet you continue to keep me in the dark, no pun intended." She tilted her head up. "I trust you; I really do. I won't be angry if what you tell me is bad."

* * *

><p>Cody at first believed an enemy came when he heard that soft <em>thump. <em>But it turned out to be only T.K. throwing his hat down. Still, the sight of the usually calm T.K. now so angry made Cody a little nervous. "You okay, T.K.?"

"Cody, I've got some unfinished business to take care of." T.K. said, tossing his bag down. "Time to get to work." He marched off, leaving Cody even more confused.

"T.K. wait a minute!" Cody called.

"T.K.!" Patamon hurriedly flew after his partner. Cody stared after them, not sure if he should follow, try to stop him, or just stand there. By the time he decided to just stand there, T.K. and Patamon disappeared.

"Where's he off to?" Digmon asked. "Maybe we should follow him."

"Don't worry," Tentomon assured. "Patamon will take care of T.K. We need to keep working to free these Digimon."

Cody couldn't argue with that. "You're right….." He helped the two bug Digimon as they broke down cell doors and then led the freed prisoners en masse out of there

Suddenly, a low growl rang out through the base, sending shivers up everyone's spines. The shadowy creature jumped and looked down, startled to discover a pair of glowing red eyes several feet below her. She gulped. "I get the feeling we're not on a crate." Light poured in as the roof opened up and a platform pushed the large figure and the creature to the skies. Turns out, the creature sat on top of a Digimon version of Frankenstein, numerous pieces of other Digimon combined into one.

"Oh this can't be good." The creature gulped. She yelped and suddenly fell back into the Digimon's flaming red hair as it took off into the skies.

"Do you see what I see?" Yolei asked as she and Kari rode their Digimon through the skies. The others followed her gaze to see the monstrous Digimon approaching fast. "What is that thing?" Yolei breathed.

"It's Kimeramon!" Kari reported, reading off her D-terminal. "He's the combination of many Digimon into one!"

"_Eagle Eye!"_ Halsemon launched the red beams from his eyes, but they bounced off Kimeramon's head.

"_Cat's Eye Beam!"_ Nefertimon sent her own blast, but Kimeramon dodged it easily. Kimeramon swooped around and began shooting after the girls. They managed to move away in time, but not before Kimeramon's tail smacked Halsemon out of the sky. His multiple arms swished past Nefertimon and Kari, trying to snatch them but instead swatting them farther away. The two flying Digimon zipped about Kimeramon's head and body, trying to land a good attack. Meanwhile, the creature buried herself deep into Kimeramon's hair as though to protect herself. No matter what Nefertimon and Halsemon did, they couldn't lay down a good enough blow and continually needed to dodge Kimeramon's attacks while keeping the girls safe. Eventually, they found Cody, Digmon, Tentomon and a group of other Digimon on a small island and decided to leave the girls there.

"Nefertimon! Halsemon! You guys be careful, okay?" Kari pleaded.

"_Heat Viper!"_ Kimeramon suddenly launched a sickly green colored blast from his mouth, almost frying Tentomon in the process but instead hitting the Digimon Emperor's base.

"_Tempest Wing!"_ Halsemon launched his wind attack.

"_Rosetta Stone!"_ Nefertimon coupled her attack with Halsemon's, but Kimeramon barely reacted.

"They had no effect!" Halsemon gasped. Suddenly, one of the Devimon arms smacked Halsemon as though he were a fly, sending him tumbling out of the air and smashing into the top of the base. Kimeramon moved in to finish him off, but Nefertimon arrived just in time.

"Halsemon! Let's get out of here!" She picked up the bird Digimon and carried him to safety just as Kimeramon launched another blast. Kimeramon was quick to shoot after the smaller flying Digimon and caught each one in two of his six hands, squeezing them so tightly he could've broken their bones if at Rookie level.

"_Aqueous Beam!"_

A sudden green light hit Kimeramon's hands, releasing his captives. The source of the beam: Pegasusmon and T.K., finally returning to join the fight.

"Thanks Pegasusmon." Halsemon said.

"It was just a little horseplay." Pegasusmon joked.

"Kimeramon's stopped moving!" T.K. realized. "Let's take this opportunity to get out of here!" The Digimon couldn't have agreed more, flying off before their giant opponent could regain his senses. They joined their friends and hurried back to the shoreline, leaving Kimeramon and the Digimon Emperor's base in the dust.

Finally hearing peacefulness, the creature stood from Kimeramon's mane. "That was the single most terrifying yet thrilling experience I've ever been through." The shadowy creature panted. She smiled broadly. "Let's do it again!" She giggled a little, staring after the DigiDestined. "They really are powerful and brave. Maybe they _don't_ need my help." Her smile shrunk a little. "Which means I have a ways to go before I find my true destiny, huh?" She suddenly frowned. "What?" She looked to the horizon. "You're right; the sun's setting. We better get inside."

* * *

><p>"Here's your hat, T.K." Cody said, handing the blonde boy his hat. "I didn't want anyone to step on it."<p>

"That's okay, Cody." T.K. assured, taking back the hat. "I have six others just like it; one for each day of the week."

"I'm ready to fight and all the action is over with!" Davis complained. "I wish we got here sooner."

Veemon moped a little too, still very much energized unlike his fellow Digimon. "The other Digimon can fly. Why can't I?"

"Come on. You've got your own fighting skills." Davis assured. "Like that head of yours is as hard as mine!"

Veemon had to smile at that. "Right."

"Anyway, let's here if for T.S.!" Davis cheered. "He really let Ken have it!"

"Yay!" everyone cheered.

"Uh, that's T.K." T.K. corrected. Everyone laughed good-naturedly.

Cody stared off in the distance, the base long since disappeared. "What's wrong, Cody?" Armadillomon asked.

"I'm still thinking about that shadow." Cody said. "I feel like we should be wary because it might be an enemy, but at the same time I keep getting this feeling that he or she is a friend. It's based completely on a gut feeling in my stomach, but I can't help it."

"You know what I think?" Gatomon said with a soft smile. "I think it's Wizardmon. I bet he's still watching over us."

"Even if he is, I don't think that shadow is him." Kari said. "I threw a rock at the shadow and I'm pretty sure I hit him."

"It really just boils down to whether this shadow is watching over us or spying on us." T.K. said. "For now, we be careful."

Everyone else agreed.

* * *

><p>On the Digimon Emperor's base, the shadow continually drifted about the area like a ghost before coming to the control room the Emperor liked to be in. The shadow watched the Emperor for a moment before continuing on, hopefully to find someplace to rest for the night without being spotted.<p>

_He's so strong, yet so lost. _The shadow thought. _Sometimes I wonder what I've gotten myself into._

_It's what you've gotten _us _into._

_I know._

_You don't have to do this alone. We're in this together. It's kind of impossible for us _not _to._

The shadow smirked. _You and your humor._

_Sleep well, my friend._

_Goodnight Rika._


	4. The Darkness Before Dawn

**Episode 20: The Darkness Before Dawn**

"This is terrible." Kari groaned.

It was the understatement of the decade as the DigiDestined watched the Digimon Emperor's base and Kimeramon destroy a nearby village. The poor resident Digimon ran and screamed for their lives, desperate to escape. Luckily, most if not all of them made it out. But now their village lay in ashen ruins.

"Ken does a lot of damage from his flying RV, even if it does look like a giant flying slug." Davis huffed.

"And all those poor Digimon." Kari sighed sadly. "They don't have a home anymore."

"I'm tired of bad things happening to good Digimon." Davis growled.

"Wait'll I get my paws on Ken." Raidramon growled.

"He's destroying everything in his path." Digmon noted.

"And he shows no signs of letting up." Halsemon added.

"It's like he wants to burn every square inch of the Digital World." Cody sighed angrily.

"Bite your tongue." Yolei scolded.

"That can't taste very good." Tentomon would've stuck out his tongue if he could.

"I don't care what it takes." T.K. declared with a determined frown. "I'm going to find a way to stop that thing."

"T.K.'s right; we have to destroy it." Kari agreed. "No matter what it costs us."

"I think everyone agrees, but even when we all combine we still don't have the power to defeat him." Pegasusmon said.

The DigiDestined fell silent for a moment, unable to argue. Even when all the Digimon Armor Digivolved they hardly left a dent in Kimeramon. The mysterious shadow from before hadn't been seen the entire night. "So now what?" Kari asked.

"We have two options: quit or give up, because nothing will stop him until he runs out of gas!" Tentomon groaned hopelessly.

Cody gasped softly in surprise, staring at the floating base. "Runs out of gas…" His gaze shifted over to Digmon's drills. "Tentomon, you just gave me an idea."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Tentomon gulped a little, his nervousness kicking into high gear.

Cody suddenly noticed something else. "Hey, what's that? A pipeline!"

"What are you thinking, Cody?" Yolei asked.

"I'm not totally sure, but I think Izzy might be able to help." Cody took out his D3. "I'll shoot him a quick email and see what he thinks."

"Well he better think fast, before that floating hunk of junk gets too far away." Davis urged.

"We'll have to be patient, Davis." Kari said. "I'm sure we'll figure something out."

* * *

><p>On the Digimon Emperor's base, the self-proclaimed monarch watched his greatest creation, Kimeramon, fly ahead and basically lead the way to more villages to be destroyed. Everything was going exactly as planned, and even the DigiDestined couldn't stop him now.<p>

"I should build a monument to myself." He chuckled darkly.

Suddenly, a round of evil laughter, much deeper than his own, resonated in his head. Feeling the searing pain return, he fell to his knees with an agonized groan.

Wormmon, suddenly panicking, hurried closer to his master. "Master what's wrong?"

The Digimon Emperor refused to turn and look at him. "Just leave me alone." He panted a little, fighting the pain and willing the voice to leave him.

"Why don't you take a time out from all the destruction?" Wormmon suggested. "You can start again tomorrow."

"Go away." the Emperor half-pleaded, more to the voice than to Wormmon. The evil laughter returned, resonating louder and louder.

"_You can't hide from the darkness!" _the voice declared.

"Who are you?!" the Digimon Emperor shouted to the ceiling.

"I'm Wormmon, don't you remember?" With every passing second Wormmon's concern grew.

"_Watch your step." _The voice warned teasingly. _"Or you might fall into a hole you didn't even know was there!"_

The Digimon Emperor looked down and his eyes widened at the circle in the ground that dropped out to nothing. Terrified, the raven-haired boy let out a scream. As suddenly as it appeared, the hole and the voice were gone, leaving the boy panting again.

"Master, what's wrong?" Wormmon demanded worriedly. "Are you okay?"

The Digimon Emperor continued to pant for a moment before he began chuckling madly. He rose to his feet, giggling insanely. "Now that I have Kimeramon, nothing can stop me from ruling this world. Not even some stupid voice." He continued to cackle like a madman, much to the concern of the insect Digimon behind him.

Deeper within the base, a figure in the shadows clutched their hands to their head, desperately willing the pain and voice to go away. When it finally did, the figure panted a little.

"You felt that too, didn't you?" the figure whispered. "It's getting stronger. I fear if we do not act soon then the Emperor will never become who he's meant to be." The figure paused. "For the last time: no! We are not to reveal ourselves!" Another pause. "Because they won't understand! They'll hate us….they'll hate me…..and they'll have every right to. Believe me it's better this way. But you won't believe me; because you're just so stubborn." The figure took off. "We need to keep moving. Staying in one place too long runs the risk of us being spotted."

Suddenly, the figure rounded a corner and ran right into a Bakemon. "Hey!" the ghost Digimon snapped. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"On second thought," the figure said, twirling their weapon. "Maybe we should've stayed in one place."

* * *

><p>Davis yawned. "I'm exhausted. Let's stop and sleep."<p>

"Not yet." T.K. encouraged. "Let's keep going a little further."

Davis sighed inaudibly. He felt he had every right to complain about being sleepy; they stayed awake all day and throughout most of the night. Actually, his clock on his D3 read 6 a.m., so the sun most likely rose by now. Meaning they were awake nearly a full 24 hours. Truthfully, everyone felt so tired they could hardly stay awake. But they couldn't complain too much; Izzy's plan worked great. Gabumon, Agumon, and Tentomon set fire to an oil spurt and the floating base flew right through it, slowing it down so that the Digimon Emperor could take care of it. Now the DigiDestined traveled through a tunnel in the base to find the engine room and shut it down. As long as they didn't run into any more surprises everything would work out just fine.

"Hi there!"

The sudden exclamation woke everyone up pretty fast and they shouted in surprise. The Digimon prepared to attack, but paused in confusion. Everyone stare a little at the figure in their path: a young girl about Kari's age. In fact, she looked very similar to Kari, only she had long black hair gathered in a loose ponytail down her back and her eyes sparkled with a pretty shade of dark lavender behind a pair of rounded rectangle black glasses. She wore blue pajama pants under her flower-dotted white nightgown. A faint, dusty trail of footprints trailed behind her, indicating she spent a lot of time outside without shoes or she recently walked through a pile of dirt. Either way, the soles of her currently bare feet were most likely filthy. Some sort of black strap ran from her right shoulder to her left hip, but whatever hung off it remained hidden behind the girl's back. A Wizardmon hat rested on her head and a katana was strapped to her hip. Her smile seemed bright as the sun, and the DigiDestined kids and Digimon didn't realize they stared until her smile became a confused frown.

"Oh, uh, hi." T.K. greeted.

The girl's smile returned. "Never seen another human in the DigiWorld besides the Digimon Emperor."

"Neither have we." Kari admitted.

"Do you live here?" the girl asked.

"No." Cody shook his head.

"Visiting some friends?" the girl guessed.

"You could say that." Yolei nodded albeit awkwardly.

"Are there other human kids with you?" the girl looked around as though to find them.

"Nope. Just us five. What about you?" Davis replied.

"Nah. I kind of live out here alone." The girl shrugged.

Halsemon blinked. "You live here?"

"Well, certainly not in this creepy base." The girl shrugged. "But I do live here in the Digital World."

The kids and their Digimon stared for a while, very much confused. T.K.'s thoughts ran wild. _What's a girl like her living here alone in the DigiWorld? She looks like she just rolled out of bed, but those dirty clothes make it seem like she's been here for years. _"You know it's not safe to be alone out in the DigiWorld, much less this base. Why don't you come along and you can stay with us?"

"Really?" the girl's smile seemed to grow, if possible. "I'd love to! I'm Rika by the way."

"I'm T.K." the blonde boy introduced as they all continued walking. T.K. finally noticed a violin case rested on Rika's back as he pulled her up behind him on Pegasusmon. The other DigiDestined introduced themselves, smiling warmly.

"So where's your Digimon?" Pegasusmon asked.

"My Digimon?" Rika repeated.

"Your Digimon Partner." Nefertimon explained. "Like how I'm Kari's partner and Pegasusmon T.K.'s."

"Oh." Rika nodded in understanding. "I don't have one."

"Then where'd you get the Wizardmon hat?" Kari asked.

"I made it." Rika said.

"Impressive." T.K. complimented. "With that hairstyle and hat you almost look just like him."

"Thanks." Rika bowed a little. "I've always admired the Wizardmon. I don't see one very often."

"We've only ever seen one." Kari admitted. She looked down and frowned a little. "He was a good friend, but then he was killed."

Nefertimon's head drooped. "He was more than a good friend. He was my best friend. And he died saving our lives."

Rika smiled softly. "I bet he was a really great friend if he was willing to sacrifice himself for you."

Kari and Nefertimon looked away, the pain still lingering. Davis's sudden exclamation made them jump a little. "Hey guys look! There's a light at the end of the tunnel!"

"Couldn't you think of something a little more original?" T.K. rolled his eyes. Still, everyone was relieved to finally reach the actual base instead of winding through its tunnels. The room they entered was made completely of metal, with blocky designs and strange panels.

"Hey, look at that!" Davis called.

"Wow it looks like something out of a science fiction movie!" T.K. breathed.

"Yeah, and I'm the hot shot pilot who rescues Princess Kari from the bad space guys." Davis chuckled as he and the other kids dismounted their Digimon.

"He said science fiction not complete fantasy." Kari rolled her eyes.

"Does he _always _act like that?" Rika giggled.

"You'd be surprised." Kari laughed a little. They continued forward, reaching an open space that dropped out to a large, circular room with a sort of antenna running through it. While they talked, Kari couldn't help but stare at Rika for a while. "Say, Rika?"

"Yes?" Rika leaned in as Kari whispered to her.

"By any chance have you been watching us for a while?" Kari asked. "We've been noticing a strange shadow following us around for a few days. Was that you?"

"Yeah." Rika nodded. "Sorry if I startled you. I've just been keeping tabs on you and the Digimon Emperor."

Before Kari could ask anything else, T.K.'s voice beside her interrupted her thoughts. "Down there. That's where the engine room is."

"Figures." Davis huffed. "How come the engine room is never on the same floor as the front door?"

"Because that would just be too easy." Rika sighed. "Bad guys always have to make things difficult."

"What's that sound?" Davis asked.

"Maybe your brain frying from trying to think of a way down." Rika laughed.

"Look, Bakemon!" Davis suddenly shouted. Everyone whipped around to see a door open and numerous ring-controlled Bakemon floating inside.

"At least they're small." Yolei said.

"Something tells me they're not here to welcome us." Cody noted.

"Cody's right." Kari agreed.

"No problem." Davis assured. "We'll welcome them instead."

The Bakemon charged, ready to take down the children and their Digimon. However, they became very surprised by the retaliation.

"_Thunder Blast!"_

"_Gold Rush!"_

"_Eagle Eye!"_

"_Queen's Paw!"_

"_Mane Wind!"_

In a flurry of laser-like attacks, lightning bolts, and a bunch of shooting drills the Bakemon fell to the ground, unconscious and the Dark Rings destroyed. However, one final Bakemon shot towards Rika who stood off to one side.

"Rika watch out!" T.K. called.

But the blonde boy didn't need to worry. Rika suddenly pulled out her chisa katana and jumped up, stabbing it towards the Bakemon. While the DigiDestined shouted in terror, they found she only used her sharp blade to break the Dark Ring. Landing and then jumping up again, Rika shouted in effort as she performed a perfect roundhouse that sent the Bakemon spiraling into a wall and slumping to the floor. Rika landed perfectly on her feet, sheathing her sword.

"Whoa." Cody breathed.

"That was amazing!" Yolei squealed.

"Let's leave while the ghosts are spooked!" Davis urged as they all ran out the door.

"How did you do that?" T.K. asked Rika, looking very excited over her recent bout of strength and agility.

"Lots of practice, I assure you." Rika smiled warmly. They continued to sprint down the corridor before arriving at another door, this one opening as they approached it. On the other side stood a massive room with numerous storage boxes scattered about the sides of the walls.

"Wow this place is huge!" Davis breathed. "I betcha Ken plays soccer in here."

"With who? He doesn't have any friends." Kari noted.

Suddenly, the ceiling began to crack and the room shook, and everyone jumped in surprise as snarling Kimeramon crashed through the ceiling and landed before them.

"Yeesh, talk about the Frankenstein of Digimon." Rika grimaced.

"Oh no it's Kimeramon." Davis groaned. To make matters worse, another round of familiar ghost Digimon appeared. "More Bakemon? What did Ken do, buy them by the dozen?"

"Yeah, I can't believe it." T.K. groaned in frustration. "We were almost in the engine room."

"Davis, you and the others go and hide." Raidramon ordered. "Kimeramon is really strong; it's going to take all of us to fight and it might get ugly."

"I agree." Pegasusmon nodded. "You need to stay clear, T.K."

"You guys be careful." T.K. warned.

Nefertimon could feel her trainer's grip tighten on her wings. "Don't worry, Kari."

"I'll try." Kari nodded.

"Save us some snacks for when this is all over." Digmon joked.

"And Rika," Halsemon turned to said girl. "I know you must be good with that sword, but for now use it to protect our trainers. You think you can do that?"

Rika nodded. "Whatever you say."

"Let's go, guys." Yolei urged. The humans nodded and hurried off to duck behind the crates. They watched as the Digimon clashed together in the fight, sending blasts and attacks and darting around to dodge others. The DigiDestined Digimon made quick work of the Bakemon, knocking them unconscious and destroying the controlling rings around them.

"All right!" Davis cheered.

"Look!" Cody called, pointing to a ring of Bakemon coming right towards them. Thankfully, they heard a familiar call of _"Gold Rush!"_ and the Bakemon got hit with drills that knocked them aside. "Great job! Thanks a lot Digmon!" Cody smiled proudly.

"Don't mention it." Digmon said, sounding congested without his drill nose.

With the Bakemon finally defeated, the Digimon charged for Kimeramon, who since then watched the battle from his position.

"_Heat Viper!"_ Kimeramon launched his blast, hitting a group of Bakemon and destroying them. The rest of the Digimon jumped away before they could be fried. But the shockwave from the blast sent them spiraling into the walls of the room.

"Whoa." Rika breathed. "I knew he was strong but that's ridiculous."

"He's too powerful!" Davis cried.

"And they weren't even hit!" Kari added.

"He doesn't care who he hits." T.K. said. "He's totally out of control." As though to prove his point, Kimeramon continued to send blasts out in seemingly random directions, forcing the other Digimon to spend more time dodging than attacking.

"_Thunder Blast!"_ Raidramon sent his lightning

"_Gold Rush!"_ Digmon launched his drills.

"_Tempest Wing!"_ Halsemon spun around for his swirling wind attack.

"_Star Shower!"_ Pegasusmon beat his wings.

"_Rosetta Stone!"_ Nefertimon gave it her all.

The attacks combined and blasted into Kimeramon's chest, sending smoke flying.

"We got him!" Davis cheered. But their joy was short lived when they realized Kimeramon still stood, looking as though nothing hit him. In fact, he looked much angrier.

"Or not." Rika groaned.

"It had no effect." Kari said sadly.

"That's impossible." Davis growled in frustration.

"They used their best attacks and he doesn't even have a scratch on him." Yolei realized.

"Now what?" Cody asked. "What else can we do?"

"I don't suppose anyone has a Plan B?" Rika asked.

"There's just nothing we can do right now except watch." T.K. said regretfully.

"_Heat Viper!"_ Kimeramon launched another attack, missing Halsemon and Nefertimon but still sending them reeling. He did the same to Pegasusmon, Raidramon, and Digmon, hurdling the smaller Digimon to various areas around the room.

Rika reeled back, covering her face. _I can feel the heat and power even from over here! What was Ken thinking by combining the powers of such strong Digimon?_

Suddenly, the Digimon began to dedigivolve to their in-training level forms, too weak to stay at the champion levels.

"Upamon!" Cody called.

"Poromon, oh no!" Yolei cried.

"DemiVeemon!" Davis shouted.

"Gatomon!" Kari cried.

"Patamon!" T.K. shouted.

Rika stared in shock and fear. _Oh no! Now what are we going to do? _They jumped when Kimeramon started towards them to finish the job. Rika glared in determination and jumped out to face the ginormous Digimon, brandishing her sword threateningly. _I better think of something fast! I won't last two seconds against something like this!_

* * *

><p>In his monitor room, the Digimon Emperor stared intently at the little Digimon. "Wait a minute. Those little Digimon. I've seen them before." But why? Why did he have such a feeling of familiarity? His eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Now I remember. It was at that soccer game. When I first met those kids." He stared at the small Digimon, and without realizing it his voice became soft. "They're so little."<p>

"That's right." Wormmon's voice came behind him. "They're just like human babies."

The Digimon Emperor spun around. "What?" It was more out of confusion and shock than anger. He turned back to the monitors to stare at the weak and wounded Digimon. _Human babies….little, helpless babies. _"I never thought of it before. Human babies?" He thought back to when he saw the DigiDestined walking with their "baby" Digimon. They did look awfully cute. And those kids treated their digital companions with great care as though mothers caring for young. Just by observing, the Digimon Emperor could somehow tell they were just like a little family. He closed his eyes in thought, and when he opened them he noticed Kimeramon still advancing towards them.

"Kimeramon! Stop!" the Digimon Emperor ordered.

* * *

><p>Rika blinked in surprise when her would-be adversary suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Well that was unexpected."<p>

"He stopped moving!" T.K. breathed.

"What's going on?" Davis demanded.

"I don't know but I say don't look a gift Unimon in the mouth." Rika suggested, sheathing her sword.

"She's right, now's our chance!" Kari urged. "Let's go!" They ran off to retrieve their wounded Digimon, scooping them up quickly and ducking behind the crates again to regroup and reorganize.

"So now what's the plan?" Cody asked.

"Let's get out of here." T.K. suggested.

"You mean leave?" Davis seemed flabbergasted.

"Our plan didn't work because our Digimon weren't strong enough." T.K. reasoned. "Sometimes you have to fall back, come up with a new plan, and try again."

"Besides, they don't have enough strength to keep going." Kari stared worriedly at Gatomon in her arms.

"I'm with T.K." Cody agreed.

"Well I'm not!" Davis declared. "Look guys we can't just give up and leave now. We might not ever get a chance like this again." He looked up at the still-frozen Kimeramon. "And how do we know he won't start attacking again? Come on, he's just standing there like a big, ugly stuffed animal! Let's finish what we came here to do!"

"It's impossible." Kari sighed.

"Kari's right." Cody agreed.

"Davis, look around." Yolei snapped. "Most of our Digimon have returned to their in-training forms."

DemiVeemon looked up sheepishly. "We didn't mean to."

Davis still looked angry. "I just can't forget what happened. We had to sit around and watch as this mix-and-matched monster destroyed everything. It didn't matter who got in his way. I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't stand by and let that happen again!"

"It is really terrible." Rika agreed. "What if I went to find the engine room and destroyed it by myself? I still have my sword and all my strength."

"No. It's too dangerous." Gatomon said weakly from Kari's arms.

_How ironic. He said the same thing. _Rika glared at the ground. "So what? We just run away?"

"That's not an option." Davis growled. "And if none of you want to go with me then I'm going in alone 'cause I refuse to give up until this thing is completely destroyed once and for all."

The kids and Digimon stared at Davis, a bit surprised by such determination. Then, DemiVeemon climbed up Davis's shoulder and onto his head, smiling broadly. "I'm going with you, Davis."

"Are you sure?" Davis asked worriedly.

"Come on, do you really have to ask?" DemiVeemon teased, causing Davis to smile.

"All right then. Let's go!" He started running off.

"Wait I'm coming too!" Rika called, sprinting after him. Davis took her hand in his and pulled the girl in close, wrapping an arm around her waist and holding on tight. He jumped off the edge of the drop off and grabbed a chain, lowering himself, Rika, and DemiVeemon down towards the engine room.

"Hold on let me put on my safety belt!" DemiVeemon cried.

"Ow!" Davis yelped. "That's not a safety belt that's my hair!"

"Be careful we're going too fast!" Rika warned, her arms around Davis's neck. The two of them suddenly jumped as the chain stopped, barely catching the edge of one of the platforms. They dared to look down, only seeing darkness below them. "Some plan." Rika gulped.

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea." Davis realized.

"So what do we do now?" DemiVeemon asked worriedly.

"Just hang on." Rika said. "I'll see if I can climb up." She moved one hand down to her hip and grabbed her sword. In a swift movement, she pulled herself up and stabbed her blade into the top of the platform, giving her the leverage to pull herself up. Then she sheathed her blade and helped Davis and DemiVeemon up.

"Next time you climb and I'll sit on your head." Davis told DemiVeemon.

"Kimeramon! Don't let them get away!"

"Uh oh." Rika warned. "Digimon Emperor at twelve o'clock." She, Davis, and DemiVeemon heard a familiar growl, and then unexpectedly the sound of flapping wings.

The Digimon Emperor's voice rang out through the room. "Kimeramon! Where are you going? Kimeramon!"

Suddenly, the malicious laughter from before rang out, and this time everyone heard it. Davis jumped when Rika suddenly fell to her knees, clutching her head in pain.

"Rika! You okay?" Davis reached for her, but stopped when he noticed her trembling.

"I'm fine." Rika said through gritted teeth. _No. That's a lie. That voice; it's like it's attacking my very heart and soul! It hurts!_

Then, she heard Ken's thoughts through her head. _"I have nothing to be scared of. The powers of darkness mean nothing to me. I'm still the ruler of this world! Once I find Kimeramon nothing can stop me!"_

_The powers of darkness? _Rika thought. _That's right; he tried to control them and it's clearly not working out too well. After all, it's not his job, not his responsibility….. _"It's not his Crest."

"What was that?" Davis asked.

"Nothing." Rika said, standing. "Let's go destroy the engine room."

Davis nodded, looking down towards a structure ahead of them. "That looks like the engine room. Let's go!" They started forward, only to stop when Wormmon dropped in front of them. "Get out of the way! I know who you are!"

Wormmon seemed undeterred, turning towards the structure. "This way."

Davis, DemiVeemon, and Rika blinked in surprise. "Huh?" Davis asked.

"The engine room is over here." Wormmon said. "Follow me."

Davis became angry again. "Do I look stupid to you? Never mind. This is some kind of trap!"

"No!" Wormmon said firmly. "Listen, you have to believe me. This isn't a trap. I'm trying to save my master. He created this awful Digimon, Kimeramon, and now he can't control is anymore. I'm afraid things have gone too far and I'm losing him. I hope that if you destroy this place I'll be able to get him back. I'm willing to help you if you help me. What do you say? Is it a deal?"

Davis seemed think for a moment before lowering his defensive stance. "All right. I'll do it."

"You will?" Wormmon seemed very surprised.

"Sure." Davis nodded. "I'm not as big a jerk as people think."

Rika rolled her eyes. "Oh brother."

"Really you're not?" Wormmon asked. "Thanks come on!"

With Wormmon leading the way, the four of them journeyed into the engine room. Inside was only more metal and a strange black shape on a pedestal in the middle of the room. The place radiated with power.

"Do you feel that?" DemiVeemon breathed. "It's like the whole room is full of some kind of energy."

"What do you think it is?" Davis asked.

"I don't know but it's coming from that black thing!" DemiVeemon pointed to the black shape on the pedestal.

"I'm going to take a stab and say that's about right." Rika agreed.

"Ken found that." Wormmon said. "Somehow the power from it is making this base move."

"Okay, so all we have to do is take it away and the base will stop moving." Davis guessed.

"Be careful, Davis." Rika warned. "You never know what might happen."

"We'll never be able to lift it!" Davis sighed worriedly. Turns out, they didn't need to; the black shape floated off the pedestal and into the air. Seconds later, the energy dropped significantly and the lights went out all across the base.

"Davis, I don't know what you're doing but keep doing it!" Rika urged.

"I got a weird feeling about this." Davis admitted. Suddenly, bright streams of light shot from the black shape, enveloping the space in a golden glow. "What's going on?"

"Davis, look at that!" DemiVeemon jumped to the floor and pointed to the shape. On the side, a pink symbol appeared.

"The Crest of Kindness." Rika whispered to herself.

Then, a gold glow came from DemiVeemon, and when it died he was back to Veemon. "You digivolved!" Davis gasped. "How?" The light and power seemed to increase greatly, making them all flinch. The light spread and shot out, destroying the walls of the engine room around them. When the light died, the shape had gone from black to golden.

"Hey Veemon look at that!" Davis breathed. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"Me neither!" Veemon admitted.

"Ah man it looks like a golden Digi-Egg." Davis blinked in surprise as the Digi-Egg floated to him and into his hands. "I guess this means that it's mine."

"That would be my best guess." Rika smiled.

Davis smiled and turned to Veemon. "Veemon. Think you can handle it?"

Veemon smiled. "Yeah!"

Davis held out the Digi-Egg. _"Golden Armor Energize!"_

The Digi-Egg started glowing again, this time brighter and more powerful.

"_Veemon golden armor digivolve to…."_ The golden light engulfed Veemon, making him grow larger and forming into armor pieces on his body. _"Magnamon!"_

"Dude that's amazing!" Davis breathed.

"How'd you do that?" Wormmon wondered.

"It's incredible." Rika sighed in awe. _No wonder he's a DigiDestined._

Magnamon floated up to the Digimon Emperor, who stared in wonder and a little fear.

Magnamon smirked. "The balance has shifted."


	5. The Crest of Kindness

**Episode 21: The Crest of Kindness**

"_Golden Armor Energize!"_

"_Veemon Golden Armor Digivolve to….Magnamon!"_

Everyone stared in awe at Veemon's new Digivolved form. Davis and Rika, the closest, needed to shield their eyes from the bright light for a while. But they still continued to stare.

"I am Magnamon, a Golden Armor Digimon that attacks with my Magna Blaster." Magnamon introduced. "And I look so good doing it too."

"In other words, he's our ticket to victory." Rika smiled in triumph.

The light emitting from Magnamon spread throughout the chamber, all the way up to the other DigiDestined and their Digimon.

"Our strength is back!" Poromon cheered.

"Yeah, mine too!" Upamon bounced with joy. The bright light began to engulf them, changing them and helping them to digivolve to their rookie forms.

"_Poromon digivolve to….Hawkmon!"_

"_Upamon digivolve to…Armadillomon!"_

Even Gatomon and Patamon could stand on their own feet, and everyone continued to stare at Magnamon as he floated in the center of the chambers.

"I wonder if Hawkmon can Golden Armor Digivolve." Yolei said.

"I don't get it." Cody breathed. "Where'd he come from?"

"It came from that golden Digi-Egg." T.K. replied. "Davis must've unleashed its power."

"This is fantastic." Kari said. "Can somebody turn off his headlights?"

Rika smiled in awe, but then tensed up with a soft gasp. _I feel a dark energy approaching….something big and fast! _"Uh, Davis? I think we have a problem coming."

Before Davis could ask what she meant, a loud crash echoed throughout the base. Upon hearing this, the Digimon Emperor smirked and rose to his feet. _Now that's more like it. _"Hey Digi-fools!" he shouted. "Do you honestly think your new Digimon can beat me? He couldn't even beat my flashlight."

"Oh yeah?" Davis snapped. "Well sticks and stones can break my bones but when Magnamon gets a hold of you, he'll kick your butt!"

"That is one of the worst comebacks I ever heard of." Rika groaned, face palming.

"You didn't let me finish!" the Digimon Emperor teased. "He would make a good nightlight."

Another crash rang out. "What was that?" Kari gasped.

"It can't be good." T.K. gulped.

Magnamon's light finally died down, as though he just realized the source of the crash. He looked down at another crashing sound and Kimeramon suddenly burst into the room with a roar.

"Kimeramon!" the Digimon Emperor cheered. The monster of a Digimon shot up towards Magnamon with the clear intent of ramming the smaller Digimon.

"Watch out!" Davis called. Magnamon suddenly noticed Kimeramon's path of flight would not only hit him but also destroy the platform Rika and Davis stood on. Thinking quickly, he landed and shot forward, wrapping the two kids in a protective embrace and tackling them aside. Kimeramon burst through the metal they once stood on.

"Wormmon!" Rika cried when Magnamon set them down. But the green insect Digimon only waved from the safety of the engine room's remains.

"Davis, Rika." Magnamon stood and glared at Kimeramon. "I'll take care of this."

"Go get 'em Magnamon." Davis encouraged. "Show him he's no match for you." He and Rika turned and ran off. "But just in case he is I'll get the others!"

"You can do it, Magnamon!" Rika gave one last encouraging shout before she and Davis disappeared around the corner.

"_Silk Thread!"_ Wormmon sent out the sticky thread from his mouth and swung over to the Digimon Emperor. "I don't mean to drop in like this but Kimeramon is tearing the place apart!"

The boy emperor looked down at the insect. "Nonsense! He's simply following my orders to attack!"

"But Kimeramon's not following anyone's orders but his own!" Wormmon protested. "Can't you see that?"

"My greatest creation won't let me down." The Digimon Emperor assured.

* * *

><p>The DigiDestined all panted as they hurried up some stairs, searching for the fastest way out.<p>

"Guys, wait!" Davis shouted.

"Hold up!" Rika echoed.

"Run Davis!" T.K. shouted. "Rika!"

Davis and Rika hurried, but Kimeramon's elbow suddenly burst through the wall and the shaking knocked them to the ground.

"We don't have that much time." Gatomon warned. "We have to ditch this place before it takes a nosedive."

"Sure would be nice to catch the Digimon Emperor while we're here." Armadillomon noted.

"Right, let's go get him!" Davis urged.

"Are you crazy?" Rika suddenly yelped when Kimeramon's Heat Viper blast hit the wall again. The floor beneath her feet began to break and slant. She shouted in surprise as she began to fall.

"Rika!" Everyone shouted. Davis dove for her, but missed her hand by inches.

Rika fell out into open air and grunted when she hit Kimeramon's head. She gripped the horn on top of his head tightly. "Oh great, this again!"

"_Heat Viper!"_ Kimeramon launched his signature attack. While the blast missed Magnamon, it did hit the wall very close to the Digimon Emperor.

"Watch where you're aiming!" he snapped. "Remember who your master is Kimeramon!"

That last comment made the monster Digimon freeze for a moment. Then he floated up to get a full look at the Digimon Emperor. He laughed cruelly, making the boy back up in fear. Kimeramon continued to laugh, ready to launch a fatal blast towards the boy.

"_Magna Kick!"_

Magnamon shot a foot forward, but Kimeramon smacked him aside and into the darkness. "Magnamon!" Rika shouted.

The Digimon Emperor stared in fear. Wormmon grabbed the boy's ankle. "I begged you to listen to me! He's out of control!"

"Get off me!" the Emperor ordered. "You're sliming up my pants!"

"Please, Master, let's leave." Wormmon begged. "He'll destroy you."

The Digimon Emperor stared at Kimeramon, looking appalled and utterly destroyed. "But I'm his creator. I nurtured him from the beginning with evil. He should obey me!"

"You're right Master." Wormmon was beginning to get desperate. "Let's talk about it outside where it's much safer."

The boy monarch became angry again. "I'm not leaving!"

"I understand." Wormmon soothed. "You tried to make Kimeramon yours but I'm your true friend."

The Digimon Emperor pulled out his whip, getting angrier by the second. "Listen you little night crawler. If I had a friend it certainly wouldn't be you."

"Ken!"

The Digimon Emperor spun around and smirked evilly. "Well, if it isn't the DigiDestined. I see you've finally come to your senses and are ready to surrender to me and Kimeramon."

"Fat chance, Ken!" Davis spat. "I think some of your hairspray must've leaked into your brain again!"

"And another thing!" Yolei shouted. "Who said it was okay for you to go and create a Digimon anyway?"

"Yeah, do you think you're Dr. Frankenstein or something?" Cody growled. "Creating a creature just for your own cruel pleasure? Kimeramon is not the monster, Ken. You are!"

The Digimon Emperor growled a little, but T.K. spoke up next, pointing to their Digimon. "Look at them! Are they trying to hurt you? They're not your toys or some kind of a sick game. They're alive! They're not just data in a computer, they're living creatures like you and I!"

The raven-haired boys' eyes widened, his pupils and irises constricting. "Huh?"

"You're DigiDestined too, just like us." Kari said. "You have a responsibility to both worlds. Like Wormmon. He's your friend and not something you should kick around."

The Digimon Emperor looked to Wormmon, who stared at him sadly with those big baby blue eyes of his. "Master….."

Only the boy felt nothing. He could only think about the Digimon he created; the one that seemed so much stronger, so much better, than the puny insect Digimon before him. "There's only one Digimon that's suitable enough for me." He glared hard. "And that's Kimeramon!"

A piercing scream made the DigiDestined jump, and they looked out to the battle between Kimeramon and Magnamon. "Rika!" T.K. called.

"Guys help me!" Rika shouted. "This stopped being fun a long time ago!" Suddenly, Kimeramon launched numerous blasts that sent huge chunks of debris crashing into the bottom of the base, causing large explosions and shaking the entire structure. Based on the continuous shaking and the feeling of vertigo, it was clear the base was making a steep drop towards the ground.

"Don't feel too proud that you destroyed my home base." The Digimon Emperor shouted over the noise. "Because you are going down with it!" He took off running, Wormmon hopping along behind him.

"Wait Ken!" Davis shouted. "We want to help you! Ken, listen to me!"

Kimeramon suddenly threw his head up, forcing Rika to fly into the air with a scream. "Rika hang on!" Kari shouted.

"To what?!" Rika screamed as she fell. But Magnamon shot out from the darkness and caught Rika, darting away as Kimeramon came after them. "Thanks Magnamon."

"No problem." Magnamon assured as he dodged Kimeramon's blows. "Now let's get out of here!"

The ground shook violently again, making the DigiDestined yelp and shout in terror. "Pardon me, but it is getting a little hot down here!" Hawkmon whimpered.

"Right." Yolei nodded. "But do you guys have enough energy to Digivolve?"

"Yes!" Hawkmon said hurriedly. "Now let's leave before I'm a fried chicken!"

"The heat is on guys!" Gatomon said. "Ready?"

Patamon nodded, looking determined. "Yeah." Armadillomon agreed.

"Okay let's do it." Kari urged. The other agreed. T.K., Kari, Yolei, and Cody took out their Digivices and their Digimon stood ready, preparing to Digivolve and then get the heck out of there.

"_Digi-Armor Energize!"_

"_Armadillomon Armor Digivolve to…..…Digmon, the Drill of Knowledge! I used to say 'the Drill of Power' but I think this makes me sound smarter!"_

"_Hawkmon Armor Digivolve to…..Halsemon, the Wings of Love!"_

"_Gatomon Armor Digivolve to…..Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"_

"_Patamon Armor Digivolve to…..Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!"_

Magnamon burst out of the base, keeping Rika close and protected. Kimeramon followed close behind, roaring. Magnamon moved Rika so she hung behind him from his shoulders. _"Magna Blast!"_ Rockets shot from his arms and shoulder pads, exploding when they hit Kimeramon and actually causing him to rear back in pain.

With their Digimon now digivolved, the kids each mounted their Digimon (with Davis riding Pegasusmon) and Digmon launched his drills at the walls to break them out to open air. "Come on, everyone!" Digmon urged. "Follow me!" The other Digimon quickly obeyed.

"I'll follow him!" Pegasusmon called.

"I'll follow you!" Nefertimon darted out.

"I'll follow you!" Halsemon echoed.

"Now that's what I call following orders." Digmon chuckled.

"Geez that was a close one." Davis turned back to the base to see a black shape, most likely another Digimon Ken rode, fly off the base seconds before it crashed into the sand.

"Here! Take Rika!" Magnamon shouted as he swooped by. Kari stopped below Magnamon and let Rika drop down to land on Nefertimon. Then the golden armored Digimon darted off to finish his fight with Kimeramon. From the DigiDestined's view of the fight, Magnamon seemed to be laying down some serious hits. But each time Kimeramon just roared angrily.

"It's no use." Magnamon groaned. "He's too strong. I'm running out of power!" He slumped a little, somehow still able to stay floating in the air. Kimeramon's Skull Greymon hand shot forward and grabbed the smaller Digimon, nearly crushing him in the bony appendage.

"Magnamon!" Davis shouted.

From his viewpoint on the Devidramon he rode, the Digimon Emperor had a perfect view of the fight. He laughed evilly. "That's it! Let him have it Kimeramon!"

Wormmon, standing a few feet away on Devidramon's head, stared worriedly. "You can do it, Magnamon!"

"Silence!" the crack of a whip rang out, and Wormmon felt a sting where it hit on his head.

_He finally struck me. He usually only used hurtful words but this time he put all his hate into a single strike. _He turned to his master. _That's it. I just can't sit by and watch anymore. _"I hope you're finally proud of yourself." The Digimon Emperor growled, but Wormmon continued as tears flowed down his cheeks. "You've officially become worse than the monsters you created. Whatever happened to that sweet kid I met a long time ago who had a dream to take over the Digital World? Okay sure it was a sick and twisted dream but still we had a lot of laughs together. What happened to the boy I was proud to call 'Master'? Of course you made me call you that." _Maybe I'm not so good at motivational speeches._

Meanwhile, Kimeramon continued to squeeze Magnamon in his fist. The dragon Digimon groaned in pain. "Take it easy! I'm not a melon!"

"What are we going to do?" Yolei whimpered. "We have to stop him!"

"How?" Rika demanded. "I tried stabbing my sword into his skull but I hardly left a scratch!"

"We better think of something or he'll destroy Magnamon!" Davis urged.

Wormmon knew what he was about to do may hurt Ken more than help him, but he knew it was necessary. "You've changed Ken, but it's not too late for you. For some reason you started capturing Digimon and you turned them into your slaves instead of your friends. I didn't agree but I stuck by your side because I was _your _Digimon. And then…..you started being cruel to _me…_….the one who knows the true you. The others may know and fear you as the Digimon Emperor, but never forget that I know the real you."

The Digimon Emperor gasped softly when Wormmon began glowing. _What's going on?_

Magnamon felt a new energy coursing through him, and he too began to glow. "What's happening?"

"I'll always think of you for your kindness, Ken." Wormmon promised. "No matter what happens. One day I hope you'll realize the real Ken isn't the Digimon Emperor but the Ken that's my friend." He suddenly glowed brighter, making the boy before him jump. "And only a real friend would do this." Wormmon suddenly shot forward and slammed into the Digimon Emperor's chest, knocking him off the Devidramon and into the sand. Wormmon directed the large flying Digimon towards Kimeramon, colliding with the monster and forcing him to let Magnamon go.

Magnamon flew a short distance away, still glowing. "Wormmon. What are you doing?"

"Magnamon! It's up to you now!" Wormmon shouted. Kimeramon suddenly swiped at the Devidramon, who flew away quickly. Wormmon received the next blow, flying off towards the sand dunes.

"Wormmon!" Magnamon shouted.

"Please Magnamon!" Wormmon pleaded as he fell. "Save Ken for me! Here's what little energy I have left; use it!" A bright golden light shot from Wormmon to Magnamon, who felt immense power coursing through him.

"Wormmon's power…..has reenergized me." he breathed. _Thank you Wormmon. _He turned to face Kimeramon advancing towards him. _Say goodnight you ugly beast. "Magna Explosion!"_

Everyone shielded their eyes as Magnamon became shrouded in a ball of light. They watched, mesmerized, as the ball of light grew and shredded through Kimeramon. When the light cleared and the dust settled, the Frankenstein of a Digimon finally disappeared and the kids cheered for their friend.

Davis rushed forward as Magnamon dedigivolved back to DemiVeemon and slumped to the ground, exhausted. "Are you okay?" Davis asked worriedly as he scooped up his friend in his arms.

DemiVeemon smiled at his partner. "Hey."

Davis smiled and pulled his Digimon into a hug. "You were awesome!"

Rika appeared, kneeling beside Davis and smiling. "Thanks for saving me, DemiVeemon. You're pretty cool."

"Thanks Rika." DemiVeemon said tiredly. "I'm glad you're okay."

Davis looked down and noticed something pink in the sand. "Wait a second. Did someone lose their keys?" He reached down and pulled it out, revealing what looked like a large, pink SD card with a strange symbol on it.

Rika stared at the thing in Davis's hand. _That's not….it can't be…_

"Hey guys." T.K. came up to them. "We have one more problem to work out."

* * *

><p>The Digimon Emperor stayed kneeling on the ground, clutching sand in his hands. A range of emotions waged war in his chest: hurt, shame, anger, sorrow, and more. In a matter of minutes he lost everything that made him the ruler of this world. All because of some stupid DigiDestined.<p>

"I lost…I'm a failure…..this isn't what was supposed to happen…" He trembled with rage. "I was flawless. My plans were supposed to work out perfectly. How'd it happen?! You must've cheated somehow! That's the only possible explanation!" He could feel his mind slipping to madness, but he didn't care. "I only have one choice left and that's to cheat myself; I'll start over! I'll just have to reset the Digital World!"

By then, the DigiDestined kids and Rika appeared behind the boy emperor to hear what he said. "Reset the Digital World?" T.K. repeated. "What are you talking about, Ken?"

"It's simple." The Digimon Emperor spat. "I'll just go home and delete all the Digital World data off my computer and create a new program. That way I can start a new Digital World that doesn't cheat!"

Davis stepped up. "Dude, you can't be serious."

"The Digital World is a completely real place, Ken!" Yolei insisted. "It's not just something that's programmed into your computer."

"We tried to tell you that before." T.K. continued. "But you thought we were trying to play some kind of trick on you."

The Digimon Emperor suddenly froze up. _I did think that…..but then if they were why would they bring it up instead of continuing to trick me?_

"This isn't some kind of a video game." Cody scolded. "Ken, Digimon are real and it's about time you realized what you've been doing!"

The Emperor spun around to stare at them. "What?" _Real? Digimon are real? As in flesh and blood like humans?_

"_They're like human babies." Wormmon said._

"You've been hurting innocent creatures, Ken." Kari said.

Staring at those creatures Kari referred to, the Digimon Emperor couldn't help but flashback to when he saw those In-Training level Digimon at the soccer game. "Your Digimon were all at the soccer game in the real world. I remember now." In fact, it was as though a dam broke in the Emperor's mind and all those memories of what he'd done came flooding back. Add that to what these kids just told him, the full blow of realization hit him hard. "You _are _real. Not just computer data. I can't believe I never figured that out."

"You know for an evil genius you really are a slow learner, Ken." DemiVeemon noted.

"DemiVeemon!" Rika scolded.

"And you've been constantly abusing Digimon ever since you claimed to be the Digimon Emperor." Davis added.

The raven-haired boy's eyes widened. "I had no idea. What have I done?" The pain and guilt crashed down onto him, threatening to crush the poor boy with his deeds of wrongdoing. "I thought my Dark Rings were a stroke of genius. I never realized I was causing pain. I made them work for me tirelessly without ever giving them a break. And I was cruel to them beyond imagination!" He clutched his hair, his eyes now wild. He let out a strangled scream. "I'm a monster! I can't believe what I've done!"

"It's hard to argue with you there, Ken." T.K. admitted. "You've done some pretty horrible stuff."

"I don't think that's helping." Rika warned, sensing a full mental breakdown from the boy before them.

"The important thing is that you've realized what you've done and it's not too late to make a fresh start." Kari said encouragingly.

Kari's words were sincere, but per Rika's prediction the Digimon Emperor gave another shout of despair. "What have I done?!" He tore off his gloves, cape and goggles, tossing them aside. The clothing disintegrated into nothing like a dying Digimon. The raven-haired boy let out heart-wrenching sobs. He stood and wobbled as he walked, still clutching his hair. He screamed in agony as he fell to his knees, and his hair and formal clothes disintegrated to a smooth haircut and a schoolboy's uniform.

The Digimon Emperor was no more and Ken Ichijōji finally returned.

He continued to cry, his tears dripping down to the sand. Then, Kari gasped and cried "Wormmon!" Ken looked up to see the kids and Digimon gathered around a familiar green caterpillar. "Wormmon?"

The weak Digimon could only lie in the sand, a look of pain clear on his face. "He's still breathing." Gatomon realized. She wouldn't say that it wasn't for long; she knew Wormmon pretty much gave his life to Magnamon so he could defeat Kimeramon and there was no way the insect Digimon would survive.

Ken numbly approached his Digimon partner. Wormmon opened his eyes and smiled at the sight of the boy he loved and not the emperor he feared. "You've returned to your old self. I knew you could do it Ken."

"I'm sorry…." Ken trembled as he spoke. "It's too late for me."

"It's never too late to be sorry." Wormmon assured.

"Wormmon's absolutely right, Ken." Davis assured. He blinked in surprise and opened his fist, staring in awe as the pink object he found from before started glowing. It floated from his palm and straight over to Ken.

"Where'd you get that thing, Davis?" T.K. asked.

"I found it in the sand, why?" Davis shrugged.

"I'm not sure but it looks like one of the Crests we used to have in the old days." T.K. replied.

"You're right, T.K." Kari agreed. "And it has the Crest of Kindness on it."

"But why is it coming to me?" Ken asked, holding out his palms and letting the Crest rest on them.

"Because it belongs to you, Ken." Wormmon said. He grunted in pain. "It's the Crest of Kindness."

Ken stared at the Crest. "There must be some mistake. I've been anything _but _kind."

"That's what Wizardmon meant when he said that kindness would release the Golden Radiance." Gatomon realized. "Ken must be the key to unlocking the power."

"I told you that deep inside you were kind." Wormmon said.

Ken pocketed the Crest and walked up to Wormmon, kneeling beside him and taking the small Digimon into his arms. "Wormmon. I'm sorry. Don't go…..you're my best friend!"

Wormmon smiled, happy to have his little boy back. "You're my best friend too. Goodbye Ken." He sighed, letting the darkness consume him.

Ken stared in shock as Wormmon disintegrated and his data bits disappeared. "Wormmon no!"

The other kids stared sadly. Rika pulled her hat down over her eyes. T.K. sighed. "He's gone, Ken."

Ken stared at his now-empty arms. "He…..can't….be!" He lost his Digimon….just like he lost his elder brother Sam…. "Not again! Wormmon's gone. Just like my brother. I was helpless to save him and now I can't save Wormmon either!" He fell forward, his hand supporting him. Tears poured forth and he gripped fistfuls of sand tightly despite the grains hurting his skin. _"Why do I keep losing people?! _I came to the Digital World to get away from all those feelings but I just can't escape!" He continued to sob, feeling his heart and soul completely destroyed. The others watched sadly, unsure of what to say or do.

Davis suddenly thought of the news story he saw earlier, and how Ken's parents looked absolutely devastated over him missing. He spoke up. "There's still people who love you."

Ken stared at the sand for a moment, not realizing what Davis meant until he thought of his parents. _No…they can't possibly still love me…not after what I did….. _He shakily stood, wobbling a little as he walked away. "I gotta go."

The kids watched sadly, upset that their recent victory cost them so much. Davis didn't seem to accept Ken's leaving. "Don't walk away from your problems! Let us help you, Ken!"

Ken didn't listen. He continued to sob as he disappeared over the other side of a sand dune.

"You're DigiDestined!" Davis shouted. "Join us!"

Rika walked up and put a hand on Davis's shoulder. "Let him go, Davis. He needs to work this out on his own."

"I wonder where he's going." Cody said. "I hope he'll be okay."

"I'm going after him." Rika announced.

"Whatever happened to 'he needs to work this out on his own'?" T.K. asked.

"I just want to make sure he's okay." Rika said. "He does have some serious things to sort out but I don't feel comfortable letting him wander about the Digital World on his own, without Wormmon to protect him. I'm just going to make sure he gets home safe."

"What about you?" Kari asked. "Won't your parents get worried?"

"I live here, remember?" Rika said. "I'll see you guys around!" She hurried off before anyone could stop her. The DigiDestined stared after their departing companions.

"That Rika girl sure is strange." Yolei said.

"Yeah, but she has a point." Davis said. "We said we'd stay until the base was destroyed. Let's go home." Everyone nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>Ken didn't know how long he wandered about or how long he cried. Not that he cared. He would keep crying until he ran out of tears to shed. He lost everything he held dear. He'd give anything to be with Wormmon again. Oh what he'd give to have Sam back, before any of this even happened. To have everything the way it used to be.<p>

"I wanna go home." Ken sniffled. "I wanna get away from here." He suddenly fell to his knees. "I want my Mama and Papa! I want Wormmon to be here! I want my brother to still be alive!" He sobbed loudly, burying his face into his hands. "Wormmon…I'm so sorry….I never meant for this to happen….."

Something began to shine in front of him, and Ken slowly raised his head to stare at the circle of light a few feet away. Wiping his eyes with his sleeve, he shakily stood and approached the circle. Upon looking inside, he discovered a familiar apartment door with an all-too-familiar name hanging on a simple yet pretty name plate.

"It's my home." Ken breathed. "It's my home!" He suddenly ran forward, jumping into the portal. When he touched down, he found himself standing outside his apartment. The portal seemed to have closed behind him. The Japanese teen stared at the door for a moment before opening it and stepping inside.

"Who's there?" a man called before rounding the corner to check. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped when he saw Ken. "K-Ken? Is it you, son?"

"Ken?!" a woman suddenly appeared, and she immediately burst into tears. "Ken it's really you!" She ran forward and pulled Ken into a warm hug, continuing to cry. Ken let her hug him, feeling numb yet somehow a little happy.

_I'm really home. _He thought. _But then why do I feel so lost?_

* * *

><p>A figure lingered unseen in the shadows of the trees, watching Ken disappear and the portal close. "Let me guess; you're not happy with some of the choices I made today."<p>

A light appeared behind the figure, like a glowing ghost that couldn't be identified. "Of course I am. You knew what I wanted and yet you went against me."

The shadow sighed, not looking at the light. "I know. But sometimes when you care about someone you have to go behind their back to do what's best for them."

The light huffed. "I sincerely hope you know what you're doing."

The shadow didn't answer for a while. "We've been together for quite a couple years. One would think you would trust me more."

"I just worry." The light admitted. "You have to remember our situation."

"I know." the shadow assured. "But phase one is complete. Now we just have to keep an eye on our former emperor and see what he does."

"Try and be delicate."

"When am I ever not?"

"You really want me to answer that?"

"No, I guess not."

The light laughed good-heartedly. "It's a good thing we've been together so long."

The shadow smirked. "We do make a pretty good team." The light disappeared, and the shadow slipped away and began darting through the trees.

* * *

><p>Even though the DigiDestined kids and Digimon were absolutely exhausted, they could still laugh at Matt's misfortune: the poor boy was stuck taking Davis's sister Jun back home on the bus. No amount of pleading on the older blonde's part could get him out of it, even when he offered his little brother his college money. The others drove away and left Matt and Jun in the dust. Only Tai, Izzy, and Mr. Ishida could stay awake the entire ride home.<p>

_What a trip. I can't wait to be in my nice warm bed. _Yolei yawned.

_I've never felt more exhausted in all my life. _Cody thought before slipping off to sleep.

_We totally kicked butt. We rock. _Davis snored a little.

_We actually saved everyone. We saved the entire Digital World. _T.K. sighed sleepily.

_Well done, Gatomon. Good job guys. I knew we could do it. _Kari, one of the last to fall asleep, heard the radio broadcast information that perked her interest.

"_And in local news, the missing boy genius Ken Ich__ijōji__ mysterious returned home after being missing for the last several months. Events surrounding his puzzling disappearance and sudden reappearance are still unclear. But his family is thankful to have him home and safe. Good day!"_

_Rika must've gotten Ken home after all. _Kari thought, allowing sleep to consume her. _She really is mysterious. But I think she has good in her; she did help us after all. But questions keep running through my head. Who is she? Why is she in the Digital World? Doesn't she have a family? Is she really our friend? I don't know the answers to these questions yet. But I know we'll discover them soon….I hope…_

* * *

><p><strong>BTW: the Rika in this story is my original OC and is no way related to the Rika in Digimon Tamers. Just to clarify. Review please!<strong>


	6. Davis Cries Wolfmon

**Episode 22: Davis Cries Wolfmon**

After such a rough time in the Digital World, the DigiDestined were actually glad to go back to school for a couple days. Even though they all knew they needed to return very soon, being stuck in classes for 8 hours made them feel like they were normal kids again with normal, everyday problems. Cody read a story he wrote in class, quickly hushing Upamon when he commented on its depressing elements and tragic ending. Yolei tried to show a simple chemistry experiment to her classmates but it literally blew up in her face, much to the concern of Poromon who watched form the window.

In the gym was another story. Kari and the girls practiced their dancing skills while the boys prepared for a basketball scrimmage. Kari spun around, humming to herself, while remaining light on her feet as she danced. The other girls either tried to mimic her or just watched in awe. Gatomon, Patamon, and DemiVeemon observed everything from the rafters.

"Kari is such a graceful dancer!" Patamon sighed in awe.

"She should be." Gatomon said. "I taught her everything she knows."

"Teach me!" Patamon requested happily.

"Okay!" Gatomon laughed. She and Patamon began dancing on the rafter they stood on, looking almost as graceful as the girls below them.

DemiVeemon huffed, a little bit jealous. "I forgot my dancing shoes."

"You guys are lame! Watch me!" Davis shot his ball and it swished through the basketball hoop. "Nothing but net! Not only am I the best soccer player in school, but I'm the best basketball player too!"

DemiVeemon smiled proudly at his trainer. "Is there anything in the Real World that Davis isn't the best at?"

"Yeah, being modest." Gatomon rolled her eyes.

The basketball game started soon after, and the furious battle began. Kari cheered for T.K., making Davis frown. _Oh I'll show her! _He charged for T.K., who had the ball, but the blonde boy darted around him and straight for the hoop, making a perfect shot and earning his team a point. The girls erupted into cheers. Even Patamon and Gatomon cheered while DemiVeemon just huffed and based the shot on luck.

"Guys we need to learn to pass the ball now let's do it!" Davis called to his team. The game resumed. Unfortunately, even when Davis got the ball he tripped over one of the opposing team members and face planted into the ground. Up in the rafters Patamon and Gatomon burst out laughing while DemiVeemon shouted at them to stop it.

That didn't stop the other girls from laughing at Davis's now-red face. "Come on. I think Davis needs a little more time to practice." Kari encouraged, herding the other girls away to the other side of the gym.

T.K. walked over to Davis. "Hey Davis, do you need a hand?"

Davis looked up at T.K.'s outstretched hand and growled, pushing himself to his feet. "No! I need a team that knows how to pass the ball."

"I think they're starting to learn." T.K. said. It meant to come out as a warning, but when Davis turned around the basketball smashed right into his face. He groaned in pain, biting back a shout. _This really isn't my day._

* * *

><p>Cody ran as fast as his legs would carry him, panting all the while. Upamon sat in his backpack, happy he managed to get out of running to the computer lab.<p>

"Oh, I'm late!" Cody groaned. "I'm late I'm late I'm late I'm late!"

"We're late!" Yolei corrected as she joined him. They ran as fast as they could, somehow able to quicken their pace when they heard the bell ring. If they didn't reach the computer lab soon they wouldn't have time to use it before it became the detention room. Luckily, they rounded the corner into the lab within seconds.

"Look who's here!" Davis growled, obviously annoyed.

"Davis is in a bad mood." T.K. shrugged. "Let's hope things are better in the Digital World. He's already had one nasty trip today."

Yolei only "Hmm"-ed before opening the portal. "Is everybody ready?"

"Yeah!" everyone chorused.

Yolei took out her Digivice. "Then let's do it! Digi-port open!"

In a bright flash of light, the kids whisked away to the Digital World, complete with a change in outfits and Upamon, Poromon, and DemiVeemon digivolving to their Rookie Level forms. They touched down in a forest, landing a bit more gracefully than usual. For once, everything seemed so peaceful since the Digimon Emperor's defeat.

"You think Rika will join us?" Davis asked.

"Hey guys!"

"Speak of the Devimon." Armadillomon chuckled.

Rika smile looked warm as the sun overhead, and she jogged excitedly up to the DigiDestined. "What's up, guys?"

"Nothing, what's up with you?" T.K. asked. "Why are you still in your pajamas?"

Rika shrugged. "It's kind of the only outfit I own."

The kids stared briefly before Yolei forced a laugh. "Well, at least it's comfortable."

_Now there's not a doubt in my mind. _T.K. said. _She really does live here. Do her parents live here too or something? And why doesn't she have a Digimon?_

Rika rolled her eyes and laughed. "What're you guys doing back so soon? Didn't you already save the Digital World or something?"

"You know I'm surprised that now with the Digimon Emperor gone, we're still able to come to the Digital World." Cody noted.

"Of course we can still come here." Yolei said. "I don't know about the rest of you but with the Digimon Emperor gone I plan on having some fun in the Digi-sun."

"I highly recommend it." Rika nodded. "There are a lot of great lakes and beaches around here."

"Don't you think we deserve it?" Yolei asked when T.K. and Cody stared at her.

"Well yeah." the boys laughed nervously.

"How about you, Kari?" Yolei asked. "Do you agree with me?"

Kari exchanged looks with Gatomon, but didn't get a chance to answer before Davis cut in. "There'll be plenty of time for rest and relaxation later Yolei. But that's not why we came to the Digital World today."

"I know, I know." Yolei sighed. "We're here to restore the Digital World to the way it was before the Digimon Emperor took over."

"That's right." Davis nodded. "There's a lot of areas that are in pretty bad shape. And we're part of the reason for it. We have to get to work."

"It's really nice of you guys to do that." Rika said. "I'll help out how I can."

"All right, Yolei." Cody said. "Give us the damage report on all the different areas."

Yolei pulled out her D-terminal and opened it up to look at the screen. "Okay. Let me pull it up on the D-terminal. The mountain area's pretty bad. But it looks like the Gotsumon have already started working on it."

"I guess then we'll take it." T.K. offered.

"The Gotsumon rock." Patamon joked.

"Okay, Patamon and T.K. will handle the mountains." Davis declared.

Yolei looked back to her scanner. "Next is the city. Wow that looks in pretty bad shape too. And it looks like the Digimon there are having lunch now."

"Did you hear that, Cody?" Armadillomon said. "You get a free lunch. Let's go!"

"Wait for me!" Cody called as they ran off before anyone could protest.

"Aw man he beat me to it." Davis groaned.

"Let's take a look at the farmlands." Yolei said. "Not bad, but I don't think the Gekomon and Otamamon would mind an extra set of hands or two."

"Okay then we'll take that one!" Davis offered.

"Wait." Kari protested. "I wanted that area."

"Me too." Gatomon said.

"The only fair thing to do is Rock-Paper-Scissors." Davis decided.

"Let's do it." Kari nodded, each kid holding out their fist.

"Just so you know, I was champion in the fourth grade!" Davis boasted. However, when he and Kari put their hands forward again, he chose rock and she chose paper, declaring the latter the winner.

Gatomon and Kari cheered. Rika laughed at Davis and Veemon's despaired looks. "I'll tag along with Kari if that's okay."

"The next area is the lake." Hawkmon said.

Before he could go any further Davis called, "Veemon and I will take that one!" and they all split off to their respective areas to work.

"The only area left is the beach." Yolei said.

"All right it's settled then." Hawkmon said happily. "You and I are headed to the beach!"

And so the kids split off and got to work, helping the Digimon already at their respective areas. T.K. helped the Gotsumon plant some seedlings while Patamon flew around with the watering can. Yolei and Hawkmon started their work by helping the Woodmon and Gizamon haul in overturned boats. Vegiemon put Cody and Armadillomon to work by having them help make lunch in a ginormous pot. Davis and Veemon helped some RedVegiemon by the lake stack logs in a neat pile off to one side. Kari, Gatomon, and Rika worked to get buckets of water and take them to the rice paddies to help start the new crops.

"Gatomon!"

"Kari!"

The girls paused in their work to see T.K. and Patamon hurrying over to them. "What's wrong?" Kari asked.

"Patamon, is a dog chasing you?" Gatomon asked.

"No, listen up!" Patamon said urgently. "T.K. has a theory that I think we should all listen to!"

"What is it?" Kari asked. The Gekomon and Otamamon paused in their work to listen.

"I was thinking about what Cody said about still being able to come to the Digital World." T.K. said.

"Why is that so strange?" Rika shrugged. "Shouldn't you be able to come and go as you please?"

"As DigiDestined, we're really only allowed access to the Digital World when there's a crisis." T.K. explained. "Like Digimon Emperor level crisis."

"I thought that we figured out that we can come here because we're still needed for something, didn't we?" Kari said.

"That's the reason we were able to come the first time." T.K. corrected.

"You're right. There must be a reason this time too." Patamon added, currently resting atop T.K.'s head.

"The reason is plain as the whiskers on my face." Gatomon insisted. "We're here to clean up the mess left by the Digimon Emperor."

"The only problem with that theory is we volunteered for the work." Kari realized. "It's not like we were drafted."

"Exactly." T.K. nodded. "That's the part that's been bothering me. We're not meant to be here as a cleanup crew; there's something else out there that we don't know about yet."

"T.K., you mean…a new enemy?" Kari asked worriedly. The Gekomon and Otamamon gasped worriedly.

"I'm not exactly sure what it is yet but I think we should be prepared for whatever's out there waiting for us." T.K. decided. Kari and Gatomon nodded in agreement.

"Come on, let's tell the others about this theory." Kari urged. "They'll want to hear it." They bid the Gekomon and Otamamon farewell and jogged off to the lake a short distance away.

"Maybe you guys are just a little riled up from your recent fight." Rika suggested. "I've been running into some problems myself but it seems like you only need to worry about the Digimon still controlled by the Dark Rings."

"Uh oh." Patamon groaned.

"See, Patamon agrees with me." Rika said.

"No, look." Patamon flew up a little ways. "Everybody's gone." Everyone stopped as they reached the small lake beach and realized Patamon was right.

"That's really strange." Kari said. "They were all here just a minute ago."

"Okay! If you're hiding we give up! You can come out now!" Patamon called, flying a little ways over the lake. "Olly olly oxen free!"

"Well it looks like they finished their work." Rika said. "Maybe they went to the city to get some lunch."

"I'm not so sure." Gatomon said.

"Davis!" T.K. cupped his hands over his mouth. "Veemon!"

"Oh let them be." Gatomon sighed. "I'm sure they're just fooling around again."

"I think we should at least _try _to look for them." Kari said. "You know how Davis is; he's bound to get into trouble somehow."

"I think you should take some time to relax a little bit." Rika sat down and laid back in the sand, setting her violin case and hat down beside her.

"I'm with Rika." Gatomon agreed, curling up in a ball beside the raven-haired girl.

"Are you sure?" Kari asked worriedly.

"You worry too much, Kari." Gatomon sighed, soaking up the warmth of the sun.

"It would be nice to just sit down and relax." T.K. admitted. "The DigiWorld hasn't been this peaceful for a while."

Kari finally smiled. "You're right. Let's do it." Patamon cheered and did a few aerial flips before settling down beside T.K. The blonde boy and his brunette friend laid down beside Rika, staring up at the sky. They all took a deep breath, feeling as though a great weight flew off their shoulders. While they knew they needed to be careful and keep an eye out for danger, none of them could deny that relaxing felt very nice.

After several minutes of silence, a new sound took its place. Gatomon's ears perked up and she raised her head to look at Rika. The girl sat up straight, legs crossed, and held a very strange wooden object with strings in her hand. One end of the object rested on her shoulder and another slender piece of wood ran across the strings, making the strange but wonderful sound.

"Wow." Gatomon breathed, walking up to Rika. "What is that?"

"This is called a violin." Rika said, stopping her playing to show Gatomon the instrument. "See, the strings on this stick, called a bow, run across the strings on the violin. By pressing down strings and running the bow a certain way, you make notes."

"Whoa." Gatomon breathed. "Can I try?"

"Sure." Rika nodded. "Just be careful; it's hard to replace those strings."

T.K. and Kari sat up to watch Rika place the violin properly in Gatomon's hand and shoulder. Gatomon took the bow and tried to finger the violin neck like Rika did. However, when she tried to play it didn't sound nearly as pretty as Rika's music. Gatomon blushed fiercely while the others chuckled good-heartedly.

"I'm sorry." Gatomon said.

"Don't be." Rika assured, taking the instrument back. "The violin is kind of hard to play. It takes some practice, but when you put forth the effort and practice it can sound like this." She began to play again, the notes brisk and bright. Gatomon, Patamon, T.K., and Kari couldn't help but bob their heads and smile. When Rika finished her brief performance, they clapped for her. Rika bowed teasingly, putting her violin back in its case.

"You're really good with that violin." T.K. complimented.

"Thank you." Rika nodded. "I can play a lot of other instruments too: flute, piano, drums, and more!"

"Wow!" Patamon breathed. "Where did you learn to play all those things?"

"My family was very music and art oriented." Rika said. "I was pretty much required to learn all these things. But I love it all." She stared off in the distance, almost longingly. "Every night we'd come together as a family to play a song and sing together: me, my mom, my dad, my grandma and grandpa, and even my brother with a little encouraging. We'd choose a song, get out the proper instruments, and sing together." She sighed softly. "Those are some of the best memories I have."

Kari, T.K., Patamon, and Gatomon stared for a moment. "Rika?" Kari piped up. "Why do you live in the Digital World? Does your family live here with you? Or are you really all alone out here?"

Rika looked down, placing her Wizardmon hat back on her head. She didn't answer.

"Did you run away from home like Ken did?" T.K. asked. "Don't you think your parents are worried about you?"

Rika smiled softly. "They know I'm okay."

Before another question could be asked, the sound of a small stampede echoed out. The kids and their Digimon turned to see the RedVegiemon and Numemon hurrying towards them. They met the fleeing Digimon halfway.

"Hey what's going on?" Kari asked.

"Where are Davis and Veemon?" Patamon asked.

The Numemon and RedVegiemon couldn't answer at first because they were so out of breath, but once they sat down and rested for a bit they could tell the story of how Davis asked them to dress up in a monster costume and "attack" him so Veemon would digivolve.

"You have _got _to be kidding me." Rika sighed, slinging her violin case back over her shoulder.

"Let me get this straight." T.K. groaned. "Davis is trying to trick Veemon so he'll digivolve to the Champion level?"

"Why does he always have some hair-brained scheme he's trying to pull off?" Kari groaned. They jumped at Davis's and Veemon's familiar shouts of terror and turned to see the two DigiDestined come running up. "What's the matter, Davis?"

"Veemon!" Gatomon seemed worried. She could tell when those two were joking and when something serious happened.

Davis and Veemon panted as they stopped. "You guys look like you've seen a monster." T.K. joked lightly. A loud roar made them all jump, and they looked back to see a sandy-colored turtle Digimon charging at them. Only this turtle Digimon looked the size of a small truck.

"Whoa a Tortomon!" Rika realized. "Haven't seen one of those in a while!"

"He's trying to kill us!" Davis quickly explained what happened.

"So you think that this Digimon is mad at you because he thinks you threw a boulder at him?" T.K. summarized. Davis and Veemon nodded.

"Why don't you guys just explain the situation to him?" Kari suggested.

"Start with Davis's lame plan." Gatomon said.

"And finish by saying you're sorry." Patamon finished.

"We tried that already." Veemon said.

"Of course if Veemon would digivolve to the Champion level in the first place none of this would've happened." Davis gave his Digimon an irritated glare.

"Again with the Digivolving thing?" Veemon groaned.

Another loud roar made them all jump, and they quickly realized Tortomon gained quite a bit of ground while they talked. "Duck and cover!" Rika shouted. Davis and Veemon took off running again while everyone else ducked behind the log pile. The RedVegiemon and Numemon ran off screaming while also thanking the kids numerously for their help. Tortomon stomped by, still chasing Davis and Veemon. When the coast became clear, T.K., Kari, Gatomon, Patamon, and Rika came out to stare after them.

"Have you ever noticed that Davis _always _gets himself into these things?" T.K. noted.

"Should we help them?" Kari asked.

"Nah." T.K. shrugged.

"But how do we know they'll be okay?" Kari asked.

"Somehow, Davis always lands on his feet." Gatomon assured.

"Besides, I don't think Tortomon is really that angry with them anyway." Patamon noted.

"They just have to keep running." Rika said. "Eventually Tortomon will get tired."

"How long will that be?" Gatomon asked.

Rika laughed. "Not sure; the Tortomon have quite a bit of stamina."

"How do you know?" Kari asked.

"I've dealt with a Tortomon or two in my time." Rika said. "They may be hard heads, but inside they're real softies. Davis and Veemon will be fine."

"How long have you lived in the Digital World anyway?" T.K. asked.

Rika's smile shrunk a little. "A while."

"How long's 'a while'?" Kari asked.

"Have we begun a game of 20 Questions or something?" Rika asked, her smile now replaced with a frown.

"Rika, please try to understand." Kari said soothingly. "We're the DigiDestined. We have to keep the Digital World safe from immense dangers. We're not saying you're an enemy, but if you want our trust you're going to have to earn it by answering some of our questions and being more open to us."

Rika looked to Kari, her gaze softening. "I know. It's just that my past is a sensitive subject and I don't like to talk about it."

"Can we still ask you some questions?" T.K. asked.

Rika sighed. "I will answer what I can. All I ask is you respect the decision I make if I choose to not answer a question or two."

* * *

><p>Over in the city, Cody and the Gazimon took a break from working so the former could teach them some basic kendo using sticks lying around. He started showing them a basic strike. "Ready, one! And two! And three! And four!"<p>

"Cody!"

Davis's distressed cry made Cody pause and turn to see his friend charging up the path towards them. "Hey Davis, what's the big hurry?"

Davis and Veemon quickly hid behind the smaller boy. "We need help!"

Cody's protective instincts kicked into gear and he prepared to use the stick in his hands as a makeshift shinai. But when he saw the monstrous Digimon charging towards them, the Gazimon ran away to hide while Armadillomon curled up and covered his head with his front feet. Cody yelped. "I just remembered I've got to study for a big math test next Monday. See ya!" He tossed his stick at the Tortomon and ran off to hide with the Gazimon. Davis and Veemon resumed their fleeing, the Tortomon roaring and shouting as he continued to chase them.

Cody peeked his head out from the cylinder he hid in. "Boy, Davis sure has some strange ideas about how to have fun."

"You can say that again." Armadillomon agreed.

* * *

><p>Over at the beach, Yolei and Hawkmon finished their work and decided to take a break and see if there were other areas they could help out with. While Hawkmon took a drink break Yolei took out her D-terminal to check the map. But then an email popped up from Cody.<p>

"'If Davis comes your way, take cover.'" She read. "'He's got a small problem.' What do you think _that _means?"

"Hawkmon, Yolei!" Veemon's voice shouted. "Help!"

"Cody sent me an email and said you had a small problem!" Yolei called back.

Hawkmon flew up a few feet to get a better look. First he noticed Davis and Veemon running through the shallow waters. Then he saw the monstrous Digimon chasing them. "I would not call that small." Hawkmon gulped.

"Yolei!" Davis shouted in terror. "Quick! Do something please!"

"Yeah! Help us!" Veemon pleaded. "Hurry!"

"While you guys are running around playing games, some of us are working. Now—" As Yolei scolded them, she suddenly realized what chased her friends and she yelped in shock. She and Hawkmon dived into a nearby boat to hide, but Tortomon's furious splashing doused them in water. They stared after their fleeing friends and the Digimon chasing them, the two of them now soaking wet.

Meanwhile, Davis and Veemon continued to run up a rocky trail, hoping the uphill climb would make Tortomon tired faster. But nothing seemed to work.

"Davis, please tell me this is just another trick!" Veemon shouted.

"You think I'm smart enough to think up something like this?" Davis snapped.

"Good point!" Veemon shouted as they continued running.

_How could I be so stupid? _Davis mentally groaned. _I never should've put myself or Veemon in danger like that! I just wanted Kari to notice me! I wanted Veemon to get stronger! But that's not worth putting my friend in danger!_

Suddenly, the two of them skidded to a halt when the ground gave out to a cliff drop. Only rocks and the shallows of some water could cushion their fall. "This is the end of the line, pal." Davis groaned. They spun around to Tortomon, who panted heavily and glared fiercely.

Davis and Veemon hugged each other. "He's got bad breath!" They groaned. "Goodbye old friend!"

Tortomon opened his mouth wide, preparing to snap them up and eat them for dinner.

"Hold on!" Davis cried. "Tortomon, let me say just one thing!" Tortomon paused, then looked down to Davis as though to say "Well, what?" "I have one final request!" Davis said.

"What are you doing, Davis?" Veemon hissed.

"Shut up and get down here!" Davis snapped, kneeling and bowing low to the ground. Veemon copied him. "I've always considered myself a very clean person."

"Oh really?" Veemon huffed. "It's a good thing he's never seen your room!"

Davis ignored his Digimon. "Before you destroy us could you do me a big favor?"

"What?" Veemon looked up in confusion.

"Would you mind washing your hands?" Davis asked as politely as he could.

"Huh?" Veemon gasped. Tortomon had a similar reaction, staring at his front paws.

"I don't wanna get any bad germs or anything." Davis said.

"I wouldn't be worried about germs right now!" Veemon hissed.

"If you've got a better idea I'd be glad to hear it right about now!" Davis hissed back.

_He's got a point there. _Veemon reasoned. "Uh, Davis is right! Germs can be very dangerous! Especially when—" Tortomon's angry roar interrupted them. "I don't think he's buying the whole germ theory."

Suddenly Tortomon smashed a paw down to crush them, but the two of them each jumped separate ways to dodge it. Tortomon lunged for Davis, attempting to smash the boy under his paw. At the sight of this, Veemon felt anger flare up in his chest. _Nobody hurts Davis! He's my best friend and as his Digimon I won't let anything happen to him! _

Veemon jumped towards Tortomon. "V Head—oof!" Veemon's head butt would've worked perfectly if Tortomon hadn't flicked his tail and sent him sprawling across the ground.

Davis skidded to a halt and spun around to stare in shock. "Veemon!"

"Why do I have a headache?" Veemon groaned.

Now anger flared up in Davis's chest. _Nobody hurts Veemon! He's my best friend and I'm not going to let anything happen to him! I was chosen to be his partner and I'm not going to let him down! _Davis pulled out his D3. "Teach this guy a lesson, Veemon!" He didn't know if Veemon would actually digivolve, but suddenly the screen on his Digivice began to glow. Veemon felt new power surging within him, and he stood up ready to fight. A golden light enveloped him.

"_Veemon digivolve to…..ExVeemon!"_

When the light died, Veemon looked as though he grew and developed into an adult dragon, complete with white wings, a longer nose horn/blade, and a V on his chest with two hashes to make it also an X.

"You did it, Veemon!" Davis cheered. "You reached the Champion level!"

"I feel like a new mon!" ExVeemon cheered. "Davis, wait'll you see my V Laser attack! It'll make my V Head Butt feel like a tap on the shoulder!"

With his new strength, ExVeemon could finally match Tortomon and they collided in battle. Tortomon threw his head around and tossed ExVeemon aside, stomping on his stomach. _"XV-kick!"_ ExVeemon landed a perfect kick to Tortomon's head and sent him flying backwards. ExVeemon grabbed Tortomon's tail and swung him around and around before finally letting go and sending him flying to the ground.

Tortomon turned and his carapace began to glow. _"Storm Carapace!"_ Shards of his rock carapace began to shoot out at ExVeemon, who expertly deflected every one. Tortomon charged again, roaring. ExVeemon jumped and kicked him again, forcing Tortomon to the ground.

"_V Laser!"_ ExVeemon sent an X-shaped blast from the mark on his chest and stomach, sending Tortomon flying over the edge of the cliff. The turtle Digimon retreated into his shell as he flew off the cliff and crashed to the rocks below.

"Tortomon has got to learn to come out of his shell!" Davis boasted. He and ExVeemon jumped at the familiar roar and ran to the edge of the cliff. Looking down, they noticed Tortomon's shell spinning very fast.

"Spinning attack!" Tortomon shouted. He finally emerged from his shell and roared. Davis and ExVeemon yelped and covered their eyes in terror.

"I can't watch!" Davis whimpered. He paused. "Do I hear splashing?" They looked down to see Tortomon rubbing his hands in the shallows of the lake below, laughing as though he just heard a great joke. "What do you know? The big lug washed his hands after all. That's a good habit to get into." ExVeemon nodded in agreement. They laughed along with Tortomon as the large turtle walked off, clearly holding no grudge against them for what happened.

* * *

><p>The other DigiDestined and Rika jumped at the loud, almost explosion-like sound. "Well I guess this means Davis and Veemon either beat Tortomon or they got pounded into dust."<p>

"Those dorks are really going to get themselves into serious trouble one of these days." Yolei sighed.

Rika smiled, but it soon disappeared when she saw the rosy and purple sky. "It's getting dark." She suddenly stood up. "I gotta go."

T.K. stood quickly. "But we still have more questions."

"Maybe another time." Rika said, starting to walk away. "But you don't want to see me when the sun goes down."

T.K. suddenly grabbed her wrist. "Rika, you've hardly answered any of our questions. We want to trust you and be your friends, but how do we know we can trust you if you won't tell us who you are?"

Rika stared at T.K. with a sad look in her eyes. "I'm sorry, T.K. I'm really sorry. But my past is complicated and, on a more important note, very depressing. It's not something I can go in-depth with right now."

"Then tell us why you live here in the Digital World." Kari pleaded. "Why don't you go home to your parents in the Real World?"

Rika looked down, and T.K. could feel her shaking. She started pulling away, seeming more and more desperate to leave. "Please understand. I'm…..not a normal kid. DigiWorld _is _my home…going back to the Real World just isn't an option for me." She shoved T.K. off and ran away, disappearing into the trees. The others stared after her, some sad and some even more confused.

"I know we should feel wary about her," Yolei said. "But I actually feel kind of sorry for her."

"Maybe we're approaching her the wrong way." Kari said. "Maybe she doesn't _have _a home in the Real World."

"Or she ran away." Yolei suggested. She turned and noticed two figures approaching. "On a more positive note, look who's coming." Everyone turned to see what looked like an older version of Veemon.

"Hey guys!" Davis called.

"So this is what it feels like to be Champion!" ExVeemon said.

"Kind of like a great boxer, huh?" Davis laughed. "Only with all your teeth. Everybody, I'd like you to meet ExVeemon, Champion Digimon Extraordinaire!"

"I've always been fond of Veemon and I'm sure I'll like you as well!" Cody smiled.

"Now our cleanup of the Digital World will go a lot faster!" Yolei added. "Let's put them to work!"

"All right!" Everyone but Davis and ExVeemon agreed. The former fell off his Digimon's shoulder and hit the ground, groaning at the very thought of doing work. Everyone else just laughed at him, confusing the poor boy as to whether or not they were serious.

"What are you laughing at, ExVeemon? Just because you're a Champion now doesn't mean you know how to dance yet." Davis snapped. He looked around to see the Woodmon, Gazimon, RedVegiemon, and Numemon gathered seemingly to join in the laughter. Then he noticed something. "Hey, where's Rika?"

"She ran off into the forest." Hawkmon said. "Something about not wanting us to see her when the sun goes down."

"That's weird." Davis said. "Were you able to find out much more about her?"

"We couldn't get much out of her." T.K. admitted. "She avoided almost all of our questions."

"What _did _you get?" ExVeemon asked.

"She's lived in the Digital World for a couple years." Kari said. "Her parents know where she is, so they're not worried about her. That being said, we also don't know if her parents live here or in the Real World. She adamantly refuses to go back to the Real World."

"That's not much to go on." Davis noted. "In fact, that's not really anything to go on."

"So what do we do about it?" Cody asked.

"We could follow her and see what we find out." One of the Gazimon offered. "She's actually well-known throughout most of the Digital World. So far she hasn't been seen as a threat, but we're all a little nervous about her."

"Why's that?" Armadillomon asked.

"For one thing, she talks to herself an awful lot." One of the Woodmon said.

"Yeah, she's always talking as though someone's standing right next to her." One of the RedVegiemon said. "But there's never anyone there. It's pretty spooky."

"Okay, I think it's safe to say Rika's more than a little strange." Yolei said.

"Then we'll have to find out more about her." T.K. said. "I say when we finish the cleanup job tomorrow we'll start doing some research."

"You think we'll find much?" Gatomon asked. "What if we don't find _anything_?"

"Then we'll have to keep asking her those questions." T.K. said. "We don't have any other choice if we want to know more about her."

Everyone exchanged somewhat worried looks, unsure of what they were getting into by investigating on this girl. Each DigiDestined child and Digimon held mixed feelings about Rika, yet none of them could deny that they needed to know more about her.

As they finished their work that evening, no one noticed a pair of eyes watching them from the shadows, nor the tears that escaped from those eyes and hit the ground.


	7. Genesis of Evil

**A/N: Very long chapter alert (21 typed pages) but this is a crucial chapter so you don't want to miss it!**

**Also, quick question of opinion: when introducing new Digimon like the Digimon Analyzer does in the series, should I just include the description as part of the dialogue or include a little section to describe the new Digimon? I've seen both in the Digimon Fanfiction stories and wanted a second opinion before I change anything.**

* * *

><p><strong>E<strong>**pisode 23: Genesis of Evil**

Mrs. Ichijōji didn't know if she should, but she desperately wanted her son to wake up or at least show he was okay. Taking a deep breath, she approached the boy's bed and stared at his seemingly peaceful face. "Ken, honey? It's Mom. I just want you to know that Dad and I are right outside your room. We're not going anywhere so when you wake up, we'll be here." She received no response, per the norm, so she sighed and exited the room.

Mr. Ichijōji noticed his wife's forlorn face. "Well? Is he awake yet?"

Mrs. Ichijōji shook her head sadly, sitting beside her husband. "But I know he'll wake up. He just needs a little more rest."

Mr. Ichijōji stared at his wife for a moment before smiling softly and taking her hand. He knew she was worried sick; so was he. But for now, they needed to let Ken do what he needed to do. Who knows what kind of trauma he went through while he was gone? "Don't worry. He's strong. Just like his mother." Mrs. Ichijōji didn't answer, but she looked a little less worried than she did before.

Back in his bedroom, Ken lay on his back with his comforter pulled up to his chin. His eyes remained closed and his mind stayed in a deep, sleeping trance. He heard everything his mother told him, and he wished he would wake up and let her know he was all right.

_I know I should wake up. _He thought. _But I can't; it's not time yet. Not until I find my heart. It feels like I've lost it. I keep looking for it but I just can't seem to find it. I know once I do, everything will be back to the way it was. Like when I was a little kid. I used to learn everything from my older brother, Sam. I remember the time he taught me to blow bubbles. _

* * *

><p><em>Little Ken and Sam stood out on their terrace, the former blowing bubbles up into the sky through the straw Sam cut for him. They two brothers laughed and smiled, continuing to send the bubbles up to the heavens.<em>

"_Good job, Kenny Boy!" Sam clapped for his little brother._

_Ken only smiled as he continued to blow the bubbles._

* * *

><p><em>At first I couldn't do it, but he kept encouraging me. Soon I was blowing bubbles bigger than he was. Sam was the real genius in the family. I was so proud of him.<em>

Then came the compliments and the words of praise from everyone in the neighborhood, only to little Ken it felt like the entire world praised and worshipped Sam's name. He would be walking home with his mother from the park and somebody would recognize her and start talking about her genius son, hardly noticing the other adorable little boy holding his mother's hand, like an anchor keeping him rooted to the ground.

"_My cousin has a friend that knows someone that says your little Sam is the smartest boy in school!"_

"_Can I get my picture taken with him?"_

"_I have three daughters I'd like him to meet!"_

"_Has he decided to be a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon?"_

"_Where can I get his autobiography?"_

"_You and your husband are geniuses to have had him."_

"_Can I get a lock of his hair? I'd like to have him cloned."_

"_Will he sing at my wedding?"_

Ken didn't know if he was more heartbroken or betrayed over the attention his brother got. Either way, it hit home hard.

_Those kinds of comments went straight to my mom's head._

* * *

><p><em>Once they reached home, Mrs. Ichijōji let go of Ken's hand to approach Sam, who came out to welcome them back. Little Ken watched helplessly as his anchor walked away, leaving him to drown while his brother was risen.<em>

"_Oh Sam!" Mrs. Ichijōji gushed a little as she came to her eldest son._

"_Mama….." little Ken murmured._

_Mrs. Ichijōji didn't seem to hear. "All the neighbors came up to me again and said what a wonderful boy you are! One of them even asked me for an autograph! Can you believe it?" She turned to her youngest son. "Oh Ken, I'm sorry. Did you say something?"_

_Either from shyness or feeling hurt, Ken just said "Never mind Mama. It's not important."_

_But as he watched Sam and his parents talk so happily about his brother's accomplishments and his praise, Ken felt like something died in him._

Mom and Dad are always paying more attention to Sam than to me. _Little Ken thought. _I know they love him more because he's smarter than me. I never get either one of them to notice me as long as Sam's around. If only Sam weren't around. Then I would be… _He gasped softly in realization. _That's it. If only Sam weren't here then I'd be the one they love. _He glared hard, a seed of hate planting in his heart. _I wish Sam would just disappear!

_Several days later, Sam and Ken were playing in their room when their computer emitted a bright light, and all of a sudden a sort of yellow comet spurt forth and landed on the floor. When the light died, a small piece of square technology appeared, complete with a little screen, buttons, and a small antenna._

Then one night a Digivice came out of our computer. I figured that it had to be Sam's.

"_Sam what is that?" Little Ken breathed._

"_I'm not sure, Kenny Boy." Sam replied, using his favorite nickname for his little brother. "Maybe the computer blew a fuse or something. Let's take a look." He reached down and took the Digivice, picking it up and staring at it._

"_Be careful it might still be hot!" Ken warned. Sam nodded, but could only stare at the Digivice. He held it to his ear and shook it. "Is there something inside?" Ken asked. Sam shook his head, looking very confused over the device. Ken became a little scared; Sam was someone who knew all the answers, so if he didn't know the answer to something then this could be very serious._

"_I don't know what this thing is but I'm gonna find out." Sam said. "Now, listen to me Kenny Boy, whatever you do don't touch it." Sam walked over and put the device in the drawer of their desk. Then he walked off and out of the room. "Wait here a minute; I'm going to see if I can find something on the other computers. I don't trust myself to use ours right now."_

_Ken nodded and watched his brother leave. But when he tried to read his comic book again he found no interest in it. His gaze kept shifting to the drawer where Sam put the Digivice._

I know Sam told me to wait for a minute. But I couldn't help myself. I felt like I was being drawn to it somehow. Like…something was telling me….that is belonged to me…..I just wanted to look at it. What harm could _that _do?

_Little Ken stared at the device before he smiled and took it from the drawer to look at it better. But when his fingers closed around it, a bright light shot out from the screen. A little scared but unable to let go of the Digivice, Ken began to gasp in surprise. Then, the computer screen shined with a bright light. Ken instinctively held out a hand to shield his eyes, but that hand conveniently held the Digivice. Next thing he knew, Ken was sucked through the computer to who-knows-where._

_It wasn't until about half an hour later did Sam realize the house, especially his room, became suspiciously quiet, so he went to investigate. "Ken, are you still in my room? You better not be touching my stuff." Sam opened the door to find his brother nowhere in sight. Then, a bright light shined from the computer, and Ken came tumbling out. He was giggling like crazy, holding the device they found from before._

"_Wow, cool!" Ken breathed. He couldn't wait to tell Sam and his parents about the Digital World and Wormmon and all the adventures he went on. He only hoped they didn't worry too much; he was gone for an awfully long time._

"_Ken!" Sam snapped._

"_Uh oh." Ken looked up to see an uncharacteristically dark look in his brother's eyes._

"_Just what do you think you're doing?" Sam demanded._

_Ken smiled and held out the Digivice. "I didn't break it!"_

"_I said don't touch it!" Sam growled, smacking the Digivice form Ken's hand. The smaller boy trembled a little, shocked by his brother's sudden violence. "Don't touch my things ever again!" Sam shouted, the hateful glare returning to his eyes._

"_I'm sorry." Ken murmured fearfully._

"_You have to have respect for people's property, Ken." Sam scolded, taking the Digivice and putting it back in the drawer._

"_I will." Ken promised. _

"_It's too late for that." Same snapped. "I already told you once not to go into my drawer and you broke my trust. Now I'll never be able to trust you again."_

"_But I—"_

"_What if you'd gotten hurt? Mom and Dad would be looking to blame someone and it'd be me not you."_

"_I said sorry."_

"_Now get out. I have to study."_

_Ken stared at his brother for a long time, feeling tears building up and running down his cheeks. But he obeyed his brother and left the room, sniffling all the way._

Sam hated me. I wasn't as good a person as he was. But that wasn't enough for him; he had to punish me because of it! He didn't have to hit me! I just wanted to play with his toy! So what if I didn't ask for his permission first? And I couldn't tell Mom and Dad because as far as they were concerned he could do no wrong.

"_Sometimes I wish…." Little Ken growled to himself as he watched Sam and his parents joyfully talk. "…he would just disappear!"_

…_._

_Ken watched in horror as his brother's body flew over his head, his glasses and somehow his shoe knocked clean off._

…_._

And then…he did…..

* * *

><p><em>Little Ken approached the picture of his brother, now surrounded by white flowers. Tears flowed freely down the little boy's cheeks.<em>

"_Sam, I didn't mean it." Ken told the picture. "I was just mad when I said I wanted you to disappear." He looked back towards his parents, who looked absolutely distraught. His mother sobbed uncontrollably. _Look how sad I've made my parents. _He thought. _They loved Sam more than anything in the whole world. I know how much the both of you miss Sam. But I'm still here!

_And so time passed, but it did nothing to heal the pain the Ichijōji family felt for their loss. The kids at school started to notice Ken now, but only to apologize for his loss and invite him to talk about it if he wanted. He refused every time. He wanted to forget Sam. But the memories stayed with him like a dark cloud constantly over his head._

Then one day I was playing on Sam's old computer. And I found an email that was addressed to me. I didn't know who would be writing to me. Or how they would know I was on Sam's computer.

'_I'm sorry for the loss of your brother. It must've been hard to take.'_

I was scared, and yet I was compelled to keep reading. It was as if I had been waiting for this letter my whole life.

'_But don't worry. Your brother is in a better place than this world. He is finally at rest. But when his soul became free, yours became trapped. You bear the burden of both his destiny and your own. Now that your parents have lost their hopes for their perfect child, you will be expected to carry out the dreams that Sam can no longer fulfill. This world will become unbearable for you. Pressure to succeed will be too great. But let me tell you about another world that is much more appropriate.'_

"_What does he mean by 'another world'?" Ken wondered aloud._

'_A world where your soul can finally be free. Where you answer to no one but yourself. Open the drawer.'_

"_The drawer!" Ken gasped. By then, he should've stopped reading, maybe to tell his parents or even call the police. Instead, he did as the letter asked and opened the top drawer of the desk, discovering the Digivice Sam left there so long ago._

'_Use Sam's Digivice.'_

"_I'm sorry, Sam." Ken sounded like he truly meant it. He took the Digivice in his hand and it glowed as bright as it did the first time this happened. Once again, he was sucked into the computer. But instead of landing in a forest with Wormmon beside him, he discovered a beach with black sand and dark waters that stretched out to the horizon. _

I'll never forget the first time I saw the Digital World. It was enormous. I stood there all alone in this huge empty world.

"_Where am I?" Ken breathed._

_For some reason, he felt drawn to the black waters and waded in up to his knees. He reached down and submerged the Digivice into the waters, not completely sure why he was doing it. Words and voices echoed all around him, yet he felt no fear. Then, before his eyes the square Digivice changed in shape and design until he held the D3 he would own to the present day._

"_This is…..mine now…." Ken growled, a crazed and evil look in his eyes. "No one can ever take it away from me! Or hide it in a drawer! I control it now." He gave a sinister smile, one he would wear almost constantly when he crowned himself Digimon Emperor in the future._

* * *

><p>Mr. and Mrs. Ichijōji stared worriedly as Ken began to moan in his sleep. "I wonder if he's having a bad dream." Mrs. Ichijōji said. She stared at her son for a moment before turning to her husband. "I've been thinking. I was remembering back when Ken was younger. He was about the same age Sam was when we lost him. That was right around the time I first noticed a big change in Ken. Remember? He began to put all of his attention into his studies."<p>

Mr. Ichijōji thought for a moment. "Yeah."

"It was almost as if our Sam had come back to us and I was the happiest mother in the world. But I never stopped to think what effect if might have on Ken." Mrs. Ichijōji stared worriedly. "Do you think it's possible that's the reason he became like this?"

Mr. Ichijōji nodded in understanding. "Maybe Ken didn't want to study so much. Maybe he wanted to spend more time playing. Although I do admit that I kind of enjoyed the idea of being the father of a genius."

"What about Sam?" Mrs. Ichijōji asked. "What if we made the same mistake with Sam? He might've had interests we ignored."

Mr. Ichijōji sighed, realizing she was right. "You're right. It's my fault. I shouldn't have pushed him so hard. I loved the attention so much that I…..I didn't realize what my son really needed the most: the chance to be a normal kid once in a while."

"I hate to say it, but we failed as parents." Mrs. Ichijōji sighed sadly.

"You're right." Mr. Ichijōji admitted. They looked towards their son.

"Ken?" Mrs. Ichijōji pleaded. "Please wake up."

"Ken, please give us another chance to be better parents to you." Mr. Ichijōji requested.

_I can't wake up yet. _Ken thought. _I still haven't found my heart. I'm still trying to get back to that little kid that used to blow bubbles on his terrace._

* * *

><p>I'd stand there for hours, blowing them bigger and bigger each time. Each one was complete emptiness inside. But none of them were as empty inside as I was. Maybe I was trying to show Sam that I could blow bubbles bigger than he could. And that I was better at something than he was. But then again, who was it that taught me to blow the bubbles? Who made the soapy water for me and cut the straws? It wasn't my parents; it was Sam.<p>

_Little Ken bounced on the balls of his feet in excitement as Sam mixed the soapy water to blow bubbles. Both boys held bright smiles on their faces._

"_Ken, it's all set to go." Sam said, handing the cup and straw to his little brother._

"_Thanks Sam." Ken said, taking the cup and beginning to blow bubbles into the air._

"_Thatta boy!" Sam encouraged. "Wow! Great!"_

_Ken smiled as he blew and then handed the cup and straw to his brother. "You try to do it now."_

_Sam seemed nervous, but kept smiling. "Uh, well, I'm not very good at blowing bubbles."_

"_Come on Sam." Ken encouraged. "There's nothing in this world that you can't do."_

"_I can do it okay." Sam admitted. "But my technique isn't quite as good as yours is. Your bubbles come out perfect because you're gentle. I blow too hard and mine pop right away." To demonstrate, Sam started to blow into the straw. But his bubble hardly made it off the straw before it popped, making Ken flinch. He laughed a little, but when he opened his eyes Sam disappeared._

"_Where'd you go?" Ken called. "Sam! Come back, please!"_

But Sam won't come back. He's gone forever. Maybe I am too.

* * *

><p>He stirred, slowly opening his eyes to stare at a gray ceiling above him. He sat up, feeling a bit lost and confused. First he became aware of a thick, warm comforter and a soft bed, high up off the ground. When he heard voices, he discovered a man and woman standing on the ground below his bed, looking very relieved to see him awake.<p>

"Who are you?" he asked warily. The man and woman looked surprised, maybe even horrified. "Well?"

"Ken, don't you recognize who we are?" the woman asked worriedly.

"It's amnesia." The man said in realization.

_No, I didn't lose my memory. I lost my heart. And until I find it I don't know who I am…or who anyone else is either._

"How could he not know who is own parents are?" The woman asked the man.

Ken stared at the woman. _You don't know me either. How could you…if I don't know myself? _From what the woman said, apparently his name was Ken. But what did that mean? Who was Ken? Who was he? _Who am I?_

"Ken," the woman said. "Don't worry, you're safe now. We'll find you the finest doctor in the world."

"Ken, while you were sleeping your mother and I realized that we tried to make you more like Sam without really knowing it." The man said.

_These people know Sam? _Ken looked over and stared at the man and woman.

"We're very sorry." The man continued. "We should've seen the son we had, instead of spending our time constantly looking for the son that we lost."

"Forgive us." The woman begged. "All we're asking for is a second chance."

_I don't know what it is they want from me. How can I forgive them when I don't understand what they did?_

"Sam is gone forever." The man had tears in his eyes now. "We know that. But we don't want to lose you too."

"Just be Ken." The woman was crying. "Just be your sweet self. Ken, just try. Just try. Please. For me?"

_Why is she crying? I don't understand. When I'm sad I just go numb. _Suddenly, he felt something wet on his cheeks and reached up to his eyes, where the wetness came from. _W-wait. There's tears in my eyes too. Why am I crying? Is my heart closer than I think? _Ken looked down to the man and woman. _Maybe these people and I can share the pain and sorrow of losing Sam together._

* * *

><p><em>I'm still searching. I know the answer is out there. I just have to figure out where to look.<em>

"Ken honey." Mrs. Ichijōji approached her son as he stared out the window. "Dinner's ready. Hungry?" She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he suddenly gasped and spun around to face her. "Oh, sorry I startled you." She stared for a moment, then smiled. _Must remember to go slowly. He just woke up a few days ago. He still has some of his memories, I'm sure. But I can't push it. _"It's okay. You can eat whenever you're ready." Ken turned from her and noticed a picture below him. He picked it up to see a young boy with a blue shirt, green short-sleeved hoodie, wild black hair and a pair of wireframe glasses over a pair of dark lavender eyes. "That's Sam. He was your brother."

_I know him. _Ken thought. _I know it's Sam._

"We were all devastated after Sam's accident, but you were the one affected the most." Mrs. Ichijōji wiped the fresh tears from her eyes. "Well. As I said, dinner is ready. You can eat when you want."

_Dinner does sound good right now. _Ken turned and smiled small, nodding.

"Oh, are you hungry?" Mrs. Ichijōji smiled warmly. "You know Dad won't be back from work until late this evening. I think we could get away with eating here in the living room. What do you say?"

Ken nodded, still keeping the small smile. Mrs. Ichijōji hurried off to get their food while Ken took a seat on the couch. He looked around at some of the other pictures hanging on the walls; pictures of him, Sam, and people Ken couldn't name but somehow recognized. _Those pictures. They bring back memories. Maybe if I saw more it would help me find my heart. _He looked down at the photo of Sam, still in his hands. _Maybe if I know who my friends and family are, I can know who I am._

"Here it is!" Mrs. Ichijōji came in with a tray holding two bowls of ramen and some iced tea. "I hope you like it." She watched Ken slowly set the picture of Sam down in front of them and then take up his chopsticks to eat. "You know, I think I have some old scrapbooks lying around. Maybe you'd like to look through them? They have pictures of you and Sam and all of our family and friends."

Ken nodded, his smile growing. _Surely they will help. If I know who knew me, I can know myself._

"All right." Mrs. Ichijōji nodded. "You eat up and we'll pull out a few." Ken hurriedly began scarfing down his food, much to the amusement of Mrs. Ichijōji. She ate slowly and quietly, wiping up any spills from her son's messy eating with her napkin. "Now Ken do slow down. The scrapbooks won't go anywhere. I don't want you to get a stomachache from eating so fast."

The raven-haired boy nodded and slowed down, realizing his stomach started hurting a little. He and the woman ate in silence until they finished eating and Mrs. Ichijōji pointed out the scrapbooks on the bookshelf, clearing their dishes away. Ken found five scrapbooks and decided on the one in the middle, believing it not recent or far in the past but still far back enough that he'd find what he needed. Mrs. Ichijōji joined him to explain pictures. Unfortunately, the first couple pages were no help. They were all of the Ichijōji family, including Ken and Sam's aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents at Disneyland. They helped him remember what a good time he had with this family, but Ken felt no closer to his heart. The next few pages showed him and his friends playing in the park or at school trips and fairs. Then, he found a set of purikura pictures. Through the stickers and designs the pictures depicted three kids smiling, making funny faces, and overall looking like they had a great time taking the photos. Two of the kids were obviously him and Sam. The third child was a girl who could've been their sister if they had one. She had short-cropped, pitch black hair and thick framed glasses over lavender eyes. Even the photos she looked like a tomboy, and Ken guessed she must've spent a lot of time with them. He flipped back a page or two and found the girl in some of the other pictures of him and Sam.

Mrs. Ichijōji took a look at the photos. "Oh, that's the daughter of some good friends of ours, the Yamada family. They died in a fire some years ago. You and Sam used to play with their daughter Rika all the time; you had so much fun together."

_That's right. Rika. Rika Yamada. I remembered her from school. She and Sam were so alike in so many ways. Same raven colored hair and fair skin; same dark lavender colored eyes; same grades and talents that everybody admired. They even wore the exact same style of glasses with the exact same prescription. Sam had to change his to a wireframe style so they wouldn't mix them up anymore._

* * *

><p>When we were in school, everyone knew Sam and Rika were the two smartest kids in all the classes, even with Rika a couple years younger than Sam. For a while, they competed to see who the best of the best was really. They made everything a competition: grades on tests, time it took to get them done, games played during recess, even the times they woke up and got to school in the morning. Turns out, they were so alike they could've been twins.<p>

"_Wow, the exact same score again." Rika said, staring at hers and Sam's papers._

"_This is really getting uncanny." Sam chuckled nervously._

"_Maybe it's a sign." Ken teased. "Maybe you two were meant to be together!"_

We laughed about it at the time, but I guess someone overheard me that day. During Valentine's and White Day, the entire school tried to get Sam and Rika together. Needless to say, they both turned bright red on those days. It was treated as a joke for a long time, even when we heard a parent comment about them getting married and raising a super genius child.

Then one day I noticed a look Rika would give Sam and not to me: she would start staring lovingly at him. I'm not sure how I knew it was love, but when Sam gave her the same look, it scared me. I thought for sure she would start paying more attention to him like my parents did, and I'd be cut out of our trio of friendship for good.

Almost overnight, it all changed. Word got around that Rika ended up in the hospital, mortally wounded. Nobody knew why; everyone guessed she was jumped in an alleyway or something. When she returned, she changed a little bit. Sometimes she would sit alone on the playground, talking as though someone stood next to her even though nobody was there. She couldn't spend time with us when it got dark out; something about a curfew.

"_Hey Rika!" Sam called as he and Ken approached their friend. "We're having a slumber party at our house this weekend. You should come!"_

"_Sorry guys." Rika shook her head. "I wouldn't be able to stay when it got dark out."_

"_Why not?" Ken asked innocently._

"_It's complicated." Rika said, wrapping her scarf tighter around her. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."_

"_Wait a minute!" Sam seemed to be angry now. "Why won't you hang out with us anymore?"_

"_It's just the whole night thing." Rika said. "I'm not allowed to be outside my home after sunset."_

"_Why not?" Sam demanded. "And don't tell me it's some stupid curfew thing!"_

"_You wouldn't understand!" Rika kept looking towards the horizon, but the sun was still several hours from setting._

"_I would understand if you just told me!" Sam demanded._

"_I can't!" Rika suddenly turned and ran off, hugging her books to her chest._

We never did understand why she couldn't be outside after dark. But Sam and I figured it was because of her incident that landed her in the hospital; if she really was jumped and attacked, maybe it happened at night and now she's scared. It wasn't our best theory; to this day, I can't think of anything that Rika would be afraid of.

After we decided to not push it anymore, Rika started hanging out with us again. But Sam's popularity began growing, and soon all the girls in class were drooling over him. Rika got pushed aside a few times, and then she would retaliate with harsh words. Harsh words were thrown back, and then Rika's fists or feet would fly. She earned detention a few times because of it.

One day, I decided to talk to her about her behavior and offered to play with her whenever Sam was busy with other things.

_Rika looked up at Ken, smiling warmly. "I like you, Ken. You always were the calmer brother."_

"_Are you mad at Sam?" Ken asked._

"_Nah." Rika shook her head. "I just wish we could hang out more often."_

"_Why don't we hang out?" Ken offered. "We can play soccer."_

_Rika's smile grew. "Okay! Let's go!"_

We started spending more and more time together. Sam would try to join us as often as he could, but we could tell he felt some pressure from his teachers, our parents, and especially the other girls at school. Thankfully, Rika stopped punching them. Once that happened, Sam tried extra hard to make time to hang out with us. He and Rika still shared a look they never included me in.

I can remember how one day our parents met up at the mall and took us with them so we could hang out. Sam and Rika were in charge, of course, since they were the oldest. But we still acted like we used to before Sam's immense popularity as the genius. One thing I always admired about Sam was how he admired the little things, especially when it came to Rika.

"_That's a pretty necklace, Rika." Sam said._

_Rika lifted the pendant she wore around her neck. "Thanks. My brother got it for me."_

"_What is it?" Ken asked, staring at the pretty charm._

"_It's called a Yin-Yang symbol, Kenny Boy." Sam explained. "It's the symbol for balance."_

"_Balance of what?" Ken asked._

"_The balance of opposites." Rika responded. "Love and hate; courage and fear; light and darkness; violence and peace." She took Sam's hand at that last part, and Ken noticed that loving look pass yet again between Rika's and Sam's eyes._

We were young, not even in middle school yet. But somehow I knew those two would get married someday. I always read stories about true love, and I admired Rika and Sam for finding it. But at the same time, I was jealous because Rika was my friend too, and I was still afraid she and Sam would grow so close I would be shut out.

* * *

><p>One day after school, Rika and I were playing soccer while waiting for Rika's parents to pick her up. Sam was in a club and I decided I would wait for him so our parents could get us both at the same time.<p>

"_Can't stop me, Rika!" Ken laughed, dribbling the ball towards the goal. Suddenly, the ball disappeared, and Ken skidded to a halt. He looked around to discover Rika with the ball under her foot._

"_You have to be gentle when dribbling the ball." Rika said. "You can't kick it so far ahead or the other players will steal it like I did."_

"_But you always told me I had to be tough when playing soccer." Ken said, obviously confused._

_Rika thought for a moment. "I did say that, didn't I? Well, you need both."_

"_Huh?" Ken cocked his head to one side like a confused puppy._

"_Remember this?" Rika touched her Yin-Yang necklace. "You need this for a lot of things in life. Soccer is one of them. Soccer needs a balance of gentleness and toughness. When dribbling, you gently touch the ball to keep it close to you." She showed Ken, dribbling it a short ways down the field. "Then when you're going up against the other players or when you want to score, you let out the toughness and power." She dribbled forward, shoving Ken to the ground when he tried to steal the ball and power kicking it into the goal. "See?" Ken didn't answer. He was too busy crying a little bit. Rika came over and knelt down to him. "Ken? You okay?"_

"_I'm okay." Ken sniffled._

"_I guess I shouldn't have pushed you." Rika laughed nervously. "But that's what you need to be a good soccer player; you have to be strong but gentle. Do you understand?"_

_Instantly, Ken was reminded of what Wormmon once told him about this same thing. He smiled at Rika. "Okay! I'll do my best!"_

"_Great!" Rika nodded. "Come on; let's keep playing."_

We played for another half hour before Rika's parents picked her up. I continued to practice my dribbling until Sam came to get me. As we left the field, I noticed something in the grass and discovered it was Rika's necklace. Knowing how precious it was to her, I pocketed the necklace and kept it close until Sam and I arrived at our apartment. I knew the Yamada family lived just a few floors up, but I was too shy to go up and return the necklace alone. I asked my mom to come with me. Luckily for me, she didn't completely shut me out of her life and agreed. She also seemed to have taken her friend's apron from cooking class and wanted to return it.

We journeyed up what seemed like a hundred flights of stairs before reaching the right floor. Mom went a little ways down the hallway to see her friend while I traveled much farther down. I heard Mom's friend invite her inside and I knew they'd be talking for a while, giving me plenty of time to do what I needed to do.

_Little Ken stared nervously at the door to Rika's apartment, not completely sure if he should knock or not. The little boy looked down at Rika's Yin-Yang necklace in his hand, and it seemed to give him courage. He knocked briskly, waiting for the door to open._

_To his surprise, the door was answered not by Rika or one of her parents, but by an older-looking boy with long, straw-colored hair and emerald green eyes. His skin looked ashen gray, or maybe Ken's eyes were playing tricks on him. Even his ears seemed to stick out and looked pointed like elf ears. Most of the boy's body was hidden under black yoga pants, a pair of blue slippers, a long-sleeved green shirt, brown gloves, and a navy blue bandana over the bottom half of his face. Despite what looked like a permanent scowl in the boy's eyes, he radiated with a positive and warm energy._

"_Hello." He greeted. "Can I help you?"_

_Ken finally found his voice. "Uh…..is Rika here?"_

"_No, I'm afraid not." The boy shook his head. "She and our parents are out right now."_

"_Why didn't you go with them?" Ken asked innocently._

_The boy seemed a little nervous, but answered. "I'm feeling a little under the weather. I thought I'd stay home and not get anyone else sick._

"_Oh, okay." Ken held up the necklace. "I just wanted to return this to her. She dropped it while we were playing today."_

_The boy looked very relieved. "Thank you for returning it. She's been worried sick about it." He reached over to take the necklace, but Ken suddenly recoiled, holding the charm to his chest._

"_If you don't mind, I'd like to give this to her myself." Ken requested in a small voice. The older boy blinked in surprise, but Ken continued. "It's just that we're such good friends and I want her to know that. I want to be the one to give it back to her so she knows I was the one that found it."_

"_And not me or your brother?" the older boy guessed. When Ken stared at him in surprise, the boy chuckled. "Rika tells me a lot about you and Sam." He laughed again, and this time Ken did too. "Would you like to come inside for a bit? Rika, Mom and Dad won't be home until late, but there's some curry rice on the stove if you'd like some."_

"_No thank you." Ken bowed politely. "Mom's with a friend a couple doors down and she'll be coming for me soon."_

"_Very well." The boy nodded in understanding. "How do you know Rika anyway?"_

"_She goes to our school. We hang out a lot. And she taught me how to play soccer." Ken said. "Today she was telling me how to be gentle when dribbling the ball."_

"_Yes, that's very important." The boy nodded. "I bet you'll make a great soccer player with how you play."_

"_Really?" Ken cocked his head in confusion, wondering how this boy could've known._

_The boy seemed to catch himself, quickly changing his tone. "Well, Rika tells me anyway. She tells me that you're powerful yet very gentle. Those are good qualities to have in a soccer player."_

_Ken stared for a moment, and suddenly Wormmon's words echoed in his head. The little insect Digimon always told Ken he liked the little boy because he was gentle. That's how he made the best bubbles when Sam taught him how. "You know, you kind of remind me of a friend."_

"_Oh?" the boy asked._

"_Yeah, his name is Wormmon." Ken said._

_The boy's eyes suddenly widened. "Wormmon? Is he a large green caterpillar?"_

"_He said he was called a Digimon." Ken said._

_The boy knelt down to Ken's eye level. "Tell me, did you receive a Digivice? A little piece of technology that maybe came from your computer?"_

_This time Ken's eyes widened. "How did you know that?"_

_The older boy's eyes seemed to smile. "Ken, I have something to tell you. Or, rather, something to _show _you. And I'm going to trust that you won't run away or become frightened. Can you do that?" Ken nodded, looking determined. The older boy reached up with his gloved hands and pulled his bandana down. Ken's eyes widened in awe and a little shock at the sight of the thick black thread across the boy's mouth, looking tight but soon revealed to be loose enough for the boy to speak._

"_Does it hurt?" Ken asked albeit sadly, slowly reaching out and touching the thread with one hand._

_The boy laughed a little, taking Ken's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Not at all. You could say I was born with it. My name is Wizardmon, and I'm Rika's Digimon."_

_Ken's eyes widened. "Really? Like how Wormmon's my Digimon?"_

"_Exactly." Wizardmon nodded, pulling the bandana back over his mouth. "Now you can't tell anyone about this, okay? You hold onto Rika's necklace and give it to her tomorrow at school. You two can talk all you want about Digimon and the Digital World, but you can't tell anyone else, okay?"_

"_Okay!" Ken nodded, smiling broadly._

_Wizardmon smiled too. "I'm glad you and Rika are friends, Ken. And I hope we can become good friends too."_

_Ken's smile grew. "And maybe you can meet Wormmon someday and we can all be friends!"_

"_That sounds great." Wizardmon agreed. He jumped a little when Ken suddenly wrapped his arms around his neck in a tight hug. The Digimon only smiled and returned the hug._

"_I'm happy we're friends." Ken said._

"_Me too." Wizardmon agreed._

* * *

><p>Ken stared at the living room ceiling, the scrapbook set aside. Mrs. Ichijōji long since disappeared in the kitchen to wash dishes. The scrapbook stayed closed, its memories becoming too painful too fast.<p>

_I felt so happy that evening I met Wizardmon. I thought for sure we'd become great friends. Maybe he'd get to meet Sam too. But when Sam and I got to school the next day we didn't see Rika anywhere, not even at recess. When school got out, Sam told me Rika never showed up for class._

* * *

><p>"<em>Maybe she was sick or something." Ken said. "Her brother was sick; maybe she caught what he had."<em>

"_Maybe." Sam nodded, not really listening._

"_Are you okay, Sam?" Ken asked._

"_I'm fine!" Sam snapped. He turned from his brother. "Let's just go home."_

"_Can we stop by Rika's house?" Ken asked timidly. "I wanna give her something." _

_Ken's eyes seemed to soften, and he fingered something in his pocket. "Okay Kenny Boy. Let's go."_

I didn't realize it at the time, but it would be the last time he ever called me that.

_The two boys waited patiently for the light to signal them to cross the street. Once it did, they began to cross._

"_Ken watch out!"_

_Ken suddenly flew forward and his face hit the sidewalk. He turned to shout at his brother when a car horn suddenly blared and Sam's body flew up into the air, landing hard on the ground beside Ken. He stared in horror at the older boy's body. The car's tires screeched as it drove away, hardly pausing. Ken could hear quite a commotion around him, but all he could do was stare at Sam's body. Somehow his brother's glasses and one of his shoes flew off from the impact._

_Suddenly weak, Ken fell to his knees beside Sam's body. He reached over and took Sam's glasses, folding them neatly in his hands. Then he noticed a piece of paper in Sam's sweatshirt pocket and for some reason pulled it out. He waited for Sam to shout at him to not read it, but Sam still didn't move._

"_Sam?" Ken whimpered, clutching the paper and eyeglasses to his chest. "Sam! Wake up Sam! Sam wake up we gotta go home! Sam please don't leave me! SAM!"_

I didn't realize it until much later, after Sam was taken away by an ambulance and after my parents came to get me, what exactly happened that took away my brother. Apparently some drunk kids were car racing and they didn't see me and Sam when they came around the corner. I did remember Sam pushing me out of the way so I wouldn't get hurt.

So even when we fought and sometimes it felt like we hated each other, Sam still loved me enough to save my life.

While we were at the hospital, my parents told me that there was a fire last night in the Yamada family's apartment. While the fire didn't spread very far, everything and everyone in the Yamada residence was destroyed.

Rika and Wizardmon were dead.

Mom finally got around to taking me home while Dad stayed with Sam in hopes he would wake up. Once we got home, I realized I still had Sam's glasses and paper in my hands. I went back into my room and climbed up to my bed, sitting cross-legged on it. I put the glasses down and opened up the paper to find a lengthy note….no, a letter. Addressed to Rika.

_Dear Rika,_

_I know we're way too young to be thinking about this. We're hardly in middle school for crying out loud. But I feel something for you, Rika. I feel something I've never felt for another girl before. Those other girls in school like me because of my talents and how smart I am. But you. You like me for me. You've been hanging out with me and Ken for a long time and you're so good at giving us equal amounts of attention. You're kind and smart and beautiful and I love everything about you._

_I know that people sometimes talk about how we may grow up to get married someday. Heck, most of the school tried to get us together at Valentine's and White Day. I was just thinking. That is, I thought maybe we could prove them right. I mean, I'm not saying we should get married right now. That'd be ridiculous._

_I don't even know why I'm writing this letter to you. It's like a diary entry or something. I just wanted to get my thoughts on paper because that's how I work out my problems. I thought I could do that here and this would all make sense. But I may not even end up giving this to you because I'd be too embarrassed._

_Oh to heck with it. Rika. I love you. I really do. I really want us to get married someday. I don't know if you love me too. But if you do, please hold me in your heart long enough for us to reach high school. Then we can call it official and everyone can know._

_Always know that until that time comes, there will only be room in my heart for you._

_With love,_

_Sam __Ichijōji_

I felt so ashamed reading it. But I couldn't help it. And now I knew that the two of them could never tell each other how they felt.

It came as a mind-numbing shock. In less than 24 hours I had lost the people I held closest to my heart.

Sam, my only brother, who I never really hated I was just mad at him.

Rika, my friend and Sam's love, who was the only girl in school that chose to accept me and my brother equally.

Wizardmon, the kind Digimon, who I only got to be friends with for a little while before he was taken from me.

_Little Ken __Ichijōji, now an only child and without any true friends, couldn't do much more than cry himself to sleep that night._

* * *

><p>Ken decided to move to his room, away from the pictures and the memories. He sat down at his desk, sighing in exhaustion. Unfortunately, he was no closer to finding his heart. In fact, he was probably further away now. He gave a deep sigh, not sure where to go next. Then, he looked down and gasped softly at what lay on his keyboard.<p>

_I know what that is. _He realized. It was his D3 Digivice, and his Crest of Kindness. Wormmon's voice began to echo in his head.

"_Please Master. Listen to me. Where's the Ken I used to love?"_

"Oh Wormmon….." Ken whispered. He stood up, now feeling determined. "I know where to look now."

Mrs. Ichijōji walked up to Ken's door, a tray with tea in her hands. _I know I said I'd let him be, but I don't know how much longer I can stand this. I have to do something to help. _"Ken dear? I made you a nice cup of tea." She opened the door, but gasped softly. "Ken? Where are you?" Hopelessness and despair came crashing down on her, and she began to cry once more. "Not again!"

What she didn't know, Ken reached the Digital World once more, and began wandering aimlessly throughout the land.

_I know this place. _He thought. _I've been here before. This is where I have to look. I know that this is where I will find my heart._

After who-knows-how-long, Ken finally noticed splashes of colors other than blues, greens, grays and sandy yellows. In fact, it looked like a large, outdoor playpen for babies. Dotting the ground like polka dots were eggs of all colors and patterns and shades.

"Digi-Eggs." Ken breathed. "Hundreds of them. What _is _this place?"

"This is the Primary Village." A little voice said.

"Primary Village?" Ken looked down at what appeared to be a stone cradle with a tiny creature resting inside. The creature looked like a Bakemon, only cleaner and much cuter.

"That's right!" the baby ghost said. "This is the place where all Digimon are reborn and they come back as Digi-Eggs."

Ken stared in shock. "Reborn? Wormmon too?"

"That's right!" the baby ghost said. "Digimon never die. They just get reconfigured."

It was the first bit of happy news Ken heard in days. He laughed as he ran towards the eggs, looking all around. He suddenly realized just how many rested in the field, and each one looked strange to him. "Which egg is Wormmon's? It could be any one of them! I can't remember. What did his egg look like? I don't know which one of these Dig-Eggs is Wormmon's…..just like I don't remember who I am or where I'm from."

"You're the Digimon Emperor, aren't ya?"

Ken turned to see another cradle and baby, this one with white hair like fur and what looked like two blue-gray antenna. "I recognize you even without your fancy clothes." The baby suddenly shot out and smacked into Ken's side before returning to his cradle.

"Huh? The Digimon Emperor?" Ken felt memories coming back fast like a swarm of hornets. "That's right, I _was _the Digimon Emperor. I've done so many terrible things! I was responsible for Wormmon. If I would've realized the truth about the DigiWorld sooner Wormmon would still be here with me today!"

"You don't wanna find Wormmon's Digi-Egg because you miss him," cried a little red baby. "You just don't want to feel guilty anymore over causing his destruction! After all you did, we're not gonna welcome you back with open arms, even if we had 'em!"

"What do you think's going to happen?" a black baby snapped. "Wormmon's just going to hatch so he can be treated badly by you all over again?"

"Wormmon won't come back to me?" Ken said in disbelief. "Just like my brother Sam didn't come back to me after he left. Just like how Rika and Wizardmon didn't come back when they left." _This is the truth I don't want to face. Wormmon's not coming back. Sam's not coming back either, neither are Rika and Wizardmon. I caused them to go away. I hated my brother for getting all the attention. I even started hating Rika and Wizardmon for leaving me all alone. I hated Wormmon because I felt he wasn't worthy of me. _Ken fell to his knees. "The truth is I wasn't worthy of him!" He stared at his trembling hands. _These hands. These hands have caused so much pain. Sure, put a textbook in them and I'm a genius. But put a whip in them and I'm the evil Digimon Emperor. How could I have allowed this to go so far? _"If I only had the chance." Ken sobbed into his hands. "I'd say sorry Sam! I'm sorry Wormmon!" _Why? Why did you have to leave me?_

"It's too late for you now." the red baby snapped. "You can't turn back time. What's done is done. You've made your bed now lie in it! I'd go on but I can't think of any more clichés!"

"The point is you can't run away from the past." The black baby growled. "You've caused enough damage here. Why don't you crawl back under the Control Spire you came out of?"

"And why don't _you _go back to your nap you little brat."

Ken froze at the new voice, a feeling of familiarity coming to him. _That voice….it's not so much the voice itself but how it's being used…the tone of it…..I've heard it before….when the owner was shoved aside for trying to speak to Sam._

"Your ignorance and lack of compassion will make you a very sorry Digimon indeed." The girl's voice continued as Ken turned to the speaker. He noticed the black Digimon baby shrink down in her cradle while a human girl stood, arms crossed and frowning, over her. The girl wore a white nightgown over a pair of blue pajama pants and a witch's hat with a skull on it rested on her head. Her raven hair, the exact same shade as Sam's and Ken's, had grown since the time she kept it cut so short. But the fire never left those dark lavender eyes, right behind….

_Those glasses…. _Ken thought. ._….the ones just like Sam used to wear before he changed to a different style…in fact, she looks a lot more like Sam than me. Maybe that's why we became such good friends. Maybe that's why they fell in love so fast._

"Rika….." Ken breathed.

Rika turned and smiled warmly at Ken. "I'm so happy you remember me, Ken. You were always such a good friend of mine."

Ken trembled, tears building up in his eyes. "You're here. You're really here. I haven't lost you." Then he turned away from her. "But I lost Sam. He's dead, Rika."

Rika's smile disappeared. She walked around to be in front of Ken and knelt down. "I know. And the anger and hate only grew within you until you used it to be the powerful Digimon Emperor. You caused a lot of pain, especially to your Digimon partner. It's going to take more than an apology to fix this. You know that, right?"

"Can't I start over?" Ken pleaded, going to his hands and knees and letting his tears fall. He seemed to speak more to the Digimon around them than to Rika herself. "I know I've caused a lot of pain as the Digimon Emperor but I'm truly sorry now. Please forgive me. The cruel things I've done in the past won't ever leave me but I've got to move on with my life! I promise to concentrate on the good things in the past not the evil. I'll use my memories of Sam and of Wormmon to make me stronger." He sat back on his ankles, holding his head in his hands. "But I can't seem to remember any of the good memories; only the bad ones keep playing in my head over and over again. I blocked out the good ones. I must force myself to remember the beginning. I must think back to the first time I used Sam's Digivice to go to the Digital World." He dug his fingers in his hair, moaning in despair. "I can't do it! All I can think about is the pain and the sadness none of my good memories will come back!"

"Ken." Rika's soothing voice calmed the boy down a bit. "I can help you. I will take away the pain and sadness of your bad memories to help you remember the good ones."

"You can?" Ken breathed.

"I can't take away the memories; they will remain in your mind where they belong." Rika said. "But I can take away the darkness so that only the positive and happy memories stand out. It'll help you remember."

"Yes!" Ken urged. "Please do it!"

Rika nodded and pressed her palm to Ken's forehead. She closed her eyes in concentration, and when she opened them they were glowing an almost ghostly black color. Ken didn't feel much different, so he focused on looking through his memories. Finally, he could uncover and old memory from what seemed like decades ago.

* * *

><p><em>Ken, Wormmon, and Ryo walked through a small sandstorm in the desert, hoping to make it to the other side soon so they could actually see a bit of green. Suddenly, a Gazimon burst from the sand right towards Ken. Wormmon, thinking fast, shot forward and body slammed the Gazimon to one side, forcing the grey furred Digimon to scamper away. Little Ken hurried forward and picked Wormmon up, holding him close.<em>

"_Wormmon!" Ken cried. "Wormmon! You okay?"_

_Wormmon opened his eyes and smiled a little. "I'm okay. It'll take a lot more than him to beat me."_

_Ken sighed in relief. "Right."_

"_Ken, I'm really glad that I'm your Digimon and we're partners." Wormmon said. "You're gentle and kind. That's why I like you."_

_Ken gasped in awe. "I'm gentle?"_

_Sam: Your bubbles come out perfect because you're gentle. I blow too hard and mine pop right away._

"_But being gentle is not enough." Wormmon said. "You have to be strong as well. Otherwise, Ken…"_

"_Otherwise what?" Ken asked._

"_Your kindness and gentleness will become overpowered by those who are evil." Wormmon warned. "It happens. The Digivice that you have belongs to you and not Sam. You're DigiDestined and no one can take that away from you. Evil forces will try to tell you otherwise but you can't listen to them. Never forget who you are."_

"_I won't." Ken said determinedly._

"_You promise?" Wormmon asked._

* * *

><p>Ken opened his eyes and found Rika's eyes back to normal. She gave no indication that she saw the memory. Ken stared at the ground. "I broke my promise because I did forget. My whole life I've been trying to be someone else. Whether it was acting tough as the Digimon Emperor…..or trying to be more like Sam." He hugged himself, shaking like a rattlesnake's tail. "I've never been Ken! But I'm going to spend the rest of my life being the kind and gentle person that Wormmon wanted me to be!"<p>

Suddenly, a bright pink light emitted from Ken's shirt pocket, and he reached inside to pull out the pink Crest Davis found in the sand. "What's this?"

"That's your Crest of Kindness." The ghost baby Digimon said.

"Are you sure it's mine?" Ken murmured. Then, another light caught his eye, and he turned to see one of the Digi-Eggs glowing pink. He stood, pocketing the Crest of Kindness, and walked towards it. "That Digi-Egg is different from the others. Something tells me I've seen it before. It's glowing like the Crest of Kindness." He placed his hands on the egg, and it glowed brighter. He recoiled in shock, watching the egg hatch and a new cradle appear beneath the baby. The little green baby looked almost like a pig but with a long tail with a leaf on the end that seemed to work as an umbrella.

"Who are….you?" Ken breathed.

The leaf raised up and Ken knew who it was when it said "Hi Ken." Tears built up in his eyes again. "I'm Leafmon, the baby form of Wormmon."

That's when Ken began to full-on cry, happy tears streaming down his cheeks. He lifted Leafmon out of the cradle. "I kept searching for you. I never stopped!"

"Ken, thank you." Leafmon said. "You took a little detouring getting there, but you kept your promise."

"What promise?" Ken asked.

"Being kind and gentle." Leafmon said.

Ken continued to cry happy tears. "Thank you for giving me a second chance." Leafmon cried tears of his own, so happy to see the little boy he loved returned again. Ken held Leafmon close, feeling a warmth in his chest he hadn't known in years. The two of them couldn't stop crying. _I wonder…..if I was the one who was gone instead of Sam, would Wormmon be the only one who would miss me? Mm…..no I don't think so._

"Rika!" Ken realized. "I have to thank her! Hey! I want to—" But when he turned, he paused at the disappearance of the girl that looked like his brother. "Where'd she go? You little baby Digimon. Did you see her go?"

"She just walked off without a word." The little ghost baby said.

"I don't think you should trust her, Digimon Emperor." The little black one said.

"Why not?" Ken asked.

"She's very mysterious." The black baby said. "She looks sweet and kind, but she can take down a Digimon with her bare hands and feet. Not to mention with that sword she has."

"And she has a Crest of the DigiDestined!" the red baby added hurriedly. "It's the Crest of Darkness!"

Ken's eyes widened. "The Crest of…..Darkness?"

"Elecmon saw it once." The red baby said. "It's all black, with a crescent moon and star symbol."

"She's a little scary." The black one quivered a little. "For all we know, if she has a Crest of Darkness then she could become a Digimon Empress!"

"A Digimon Empress?" Ken gasped. _But she's my friend. She helped me. She took away my darkness to help me remember Wormmon and my promise to him. _He paused. _But how? How did she take away my darkness? Her eyes…they were glowing…but they were black. _His eyes widened. _Could it be true? If she has a Crest, then she must be a DigiDestined. But if it's the Crest of Darkness…could she really become a Digimon Empress? Even I changed from being a sweet little kid to a cruel and evil person. What did I do by giving her my darkness? Did I inadvertently give her more power? Have I helped a new monster come forward?_

"What have I done?" Ken breathed.

* * *

><p>Mrs. Ichijōji hoped she would run out of tears to cry, yet more and more kept coming. "This time he might not come back at all!"<p>

"Don't say such things." Mr. Ichijōji scolded gently. "He'll be back. I'm sure of it."

Then, the door to Ken's room opened and he stepped out to see them. Mr. and Mrs. Ichijōji each cried "Ken!" and hurriedly approached him.

"Where have you been?" Mr. Ichijōji asked worriedly.

"We've been so worried about you." Mrs. Ichijōji sobbed.

_Now I understand why she's crying. _Ken realized. _She missed me. Just like I missed Wormmon. _Ken felt more tears streaming down his cheeks. "Mama….."

Mr. and Mrs. Ichijōji stared in shock. "What?" Mr. Ichijōji breathed. "What did you say?"

"He said 'Mama'." Mrs. Ichijōji realized. "That means…..he knows me!"

"Mama…" Ken began sobbing. "I'll give you that second chance….if I can have one." Mrs. Ichijōji, overwhelmed with joy, suddenly pulled her son into a warm embrace. Ken smiled warmly at his parents. "Thanks for being such great parents." Mrs. Ichijōji and Ken continued to cry. Mr. Ichijōji allowed some tears to fall, struggling to hold them back as he pulled his wife and son into a hug. Leafmon watched from the doorway, happy to see Ken looking so joyful.

_And now I can finally say it. _Ken said, staring off at the picture of Sam across the room. _Thank you Sam. For helping me find my heart._


	8. Investigation of Rika Yamada

**Investigation of Rika Yamada**

Kari knew she didn't have school that day, ergo she never set her alarm. So she certainly didn't expect a yowling and screaming Gatomon to wake her up at 5 in the morning.

"Gatomon!" Kari shook her Digimon awake. "Gatomon wake up before you wake someone!"

Gatomon gasped and her eyes flew open. She panted heavily, sweat drenching her fur. "Kari…"

"Another nightmare?" Kari guessed. "It was Wizardmon again, wasn't it?"

Gatomon sighed sadly, her ears drooping. "Kari, I wish Wizardmon's ghost never came to see us. My nightmares were bearable when it was just Myotismon; but now I have to watch my best friend get tortured and then killed almost every night. I miss him so much; I can't find a way to get rid of the dreams."

Kari sighed, holding Gatomon close. "You know what that means? I means you really care about him. And he really cared about you if he was willing to give his life for you."

"I never wanted him to." Gatomon shook a little, hoping she didn't cry again. "I wish I hadn't gotten him involved in this; I never should've recruited him to be in Myotismon's army. But Myotismon told me to get some of the strongest Digimon to be his mercenaries and Wizardmon will always be one of the best."

"Oh Gatomon." Kari gave her Digimon partner a squeeze. "I bet if Wizardmon were here he wouldn't want you to be so sad. He even said so himself that if he hadn't met you his life would've had no meaning. Believe me, Gatomon, I'm sad too. I only knew him for a short while, but I loved having him for a friend. I wish he hadn't died either but we can't change it." She blinked away her tears. "As hard as it is, we have to try and move on. For Wizardmon."

Gatomon nodded, forcing a smile. "For Wizardmon."

Kari smiled. "Well, we might as well have breakfast or something. We have a long day ahead of us."

"More work in the Digital World?" Gatomon guessed.

"Well yes, but not today." Kari said. "Today we're going to do some investigating on Rika."

Gatomon nodded, remembering the talk they had yesterday. "What do you think we'll find?"

Kari stared off at her wall for a moment. "I'm not sure, Gatomon. I'm really not sure."

* * *

><p>"Hey guys!" Izzy called as he, Tai, and Matt came up.<p>

"Thanks for coming on such short notice." T.K. said.

"Not a problem." Matt assured.

"So that's everyone except for Davis." Yolei said. "I bet he slept in again."

"_I'm coming!"_

Everyone turned with exasperated and mildly amused looks as Davis came tearing down the sidewalk towards them, DemiVeemon keeping a tight grip on his goggles.

"Slow down Davis!" DemiVeemon whimpered.

Davis skidded to a halt when he reached his friends, leaning on his knees and panting. "Sorry. I overslept."

"Called it." Poromon laughed.

"Come on." Kari urged. "We'll head to the mall and eat lunch while we talk about what we found."

"Great! I'm starving!" Davis's mouth already began watering.

"All you ever think about is food." T.K. sighed. Still, none of them could deny that they were ready for lunch, so they journeyed to the nearby mall and stopped in the food court for burgers, fries, and sodas. They found a table in the corner so the Digimon could eat without detection.

"So we all should've done a little research last night." Cody said. "What were the results?"

"We had to do research?" Davis asked.

Everyone groaned. "Davis." Yolei complained. "You could've at least asked around your neighborhood to see if anyone's heard of her. That's what I did."

"Yolei and I visited every apartment in our complex." Cody said. "But nobody ever heard of or seen Rika before."

"Tai, Gatomon and I asked around our apartment and the other apartments in Odaiba." Kari said. "We had many people say the name sounded familiar and when we showed them her picture they sort of recognized her. But the one thing they said would help would be if we had a family name."

"I suppose that would help." Matt nodded. "But you guys never got that, did you?"

"It's like she doesn't want us to find her." Upamon said.

"Maybe she doesn't." Patamon said.

"Matt and I walked over most of Odaiba with Rika's pictures, but no one really recognized her." T.K. said.

"What if she doesn't live in Odaiba?" Gatomon asked. "She might live across the harbor."

"Then we'll really have a lot of work to do." Cody sighed.

"Let's focus on the Odaiba area for now." T.K. suggested. "You never know; maybe she did live here once."

"Sora's dad is good friends with lots of the teachers and principals in the schools around here." Tai explained. "But unfortunately, they looked in their records as far back as ten years ago and they couldn't find very much. Only one elementary school had records of a girl named Rika attending, and she never made it to middle school. I guess 'Rika' isn't that popular of a name around here."

"Joe texted his brother Jim to check on the hospital records." Matt said. "Based on your pictures she looked about your guys' age. He did find a girl born about eleven or twelve years ago under the name Rika Yamada."

Izzy gasped softly. "Yamada? Are you sure it was Yamada?"

"Yeah." Matt nodded.

"What is it, Izzy?" Cody asked.

"I was just staring at the pictures you took of her and I couldn't help but think about where I had seen her face before. Besides the fact that she looks remarkably like Kari." Izzy explained, typing away on his laptop. "Then I remembered a news story I once read and for some reason it really stuck with me. Check it out!" Everyone gathered around his computer and saw an online newspaper page. The headline read "Lost but Not Forgotten: Yamada Family Dies in Apartment Fire." The contents were not as shocking as the pictures of the victims. One picture stood out: a photo of a little girl with rounded rectangular black glasses, short black hair, and lavender eyes.

"It's Rika!" Davis realized.

"Wow. She looks just like you, Kari." Tai noted. "In fact, she looks _exactly_ the way you did four years ago, only with darker hair, different color eyes, and glasses."

"You're right." Kari could hardly believe the strikingly twin-like resemblance.

"That's the other thing." Izzy explained. "This fire happened about four years ago, some months after we defeated Apocalymon. It was reported that there were no survivors."

"I remember hearing about that." Matt said. "The teachers wouldn't stop talking about it. Even though nobody seems to remember Rika, the Yamada family must've been well-known all around Tokyo Harbor. Apparently, the fire started in their apartment and the neighbors called the fire department after smelling the smoke through the air ducts. The fire department discovered a pot of food on the stove, so they assumed that someone left the stove on and maybe the food boiled over, causing a fire by accident."

"Except a lot of people knew Mrs. Yamada as an experienced cook." Tai said. "Our mom used to take cooking classes from her. Everyone knew Mrs. Yamada wouldn't be so careless, so they reopened the case. From surveillance footage they found a man walking into the apartment and then never coming out again before the fire started. They couldn't identify the guy, but finally decided it was a murder-suicide incident."

"But if there were no survivors, how is Rika alive?" Cody asked. "We've come in contact with her; she's truly flesh and bone."

"I hate to say it, but what if _she's _the one who caused the fire?" Yolei wondered.

"No matter what it means, this is still a clue." T.K. said. "Thanks Izzy."

"I don't suppose you could ask Rika about this." Izzy asked.

"We could hardly get anything out of her without this information." Gatomon said. "She's not going to talk."

"Then we need to keep searching." Tai said. "Maybe if we found out more information she'd be more lenient. Less likely to lie to us."

"Why don't we split up?" Matt suggested. "According to the article the Yamada family lived in an apartment building in Tamachi."

"But the school Sora's dad found is in Odaiba." Tai said.

"Okay, here's what we'll do." Kari said. "The apartment and the school are our best places to find clues. Half of us will go to each place and we'll go from there."

The kids and Digimon agreed and quickly finished lunch to get to work. After much deliberation, they finally decided who would go where: Matt, Izzy, T.K., Patamon, Cody, and Upamon would go to the elementary school; Tai, Kari, Gatomon, Davis, DemiVeemon, Yolei, and Poromon would go to the apartment.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for talking to us on such short notice." Tai said to the building manager, Mr. Tamaguchi.<p>

"Not a problem." Mr. Tamaguchi assured as he led them to the right apartment. "I was always so fond of the Yamada family. If their little girl somehow survived, it would be very nice to hear."

Kari gasped softly, pausing. "What is it, Kari?" Gatomon asked.

Everyone stopped and came over to where Kari stood. "Ah, the Ichijōji family." Mr. Tamaguchi said, staring at the name plate. "They'd be good people to talk to. They knew the Yamada family well."

"No thanks." Kari said. "Let's go." They continued along, somehow hiding their anxiousness from Mr. Tamaguchi. _It's a good thing Cody isn't here. _Yolei thought. _He definitely wouldn't be happy to know Rika lived so close to Ken. _They traveled up a few more floors until they reached a door with a name plate that said "Asano." They knocked on the door and a young woman answered, a little girl hiding behind her legs.

"Hello." The woman greeted. "Can I help you?"

"These kids are hoping to find out more about the Yamada family that used to live here." Mr. Tamaguchi said. "Could we come in?"

"Sure!" the woman opened the door wider to let them in. "I knew Mrs. Yamada from cooking class and her mother used to babysit me. I'm Mika Asano and this is Yumiko."

"Hello." Little Yumiko greeted shyly.

The kids introduced themselves as they settled down in the living room. The apartment certainly didn't look like it once caught fire with its nice furniture, painted walls, and pictures of the Asano family all around the walls and shelves.

"So what do you want to know?" Mrs. Asano asked.

"Well, did you know Mr. and Mrs. Yamada very well? Or even just their daughter?" Davis asked.

"Everybody knew the Yamada family, from Takano and Miho to their daughter Rika to Miho's parents that lived with them." Mrs. Asano said. "Miho taught cooking classes in Odaiba. Takano worked for a book publishing company. Miho's parents were happily retired, but her mother continued to go to a knitting circle with her friends. It seemed the woman was always knitting something, but boy was that woman tough as nails! Their daughter was such a tomboy, but also very talented and very smart."

_Sounds like Ken. _Kari thought. "Did you know them personally?"

"Not really, I'm afraid." Mrs. Asano said. "I only took cooking classes from Miho for quite a few years."

"Do you know much about the fire in his apartment?" Yolei asked.

"Not really." Mrs. Asano shook her head. "By the time we moved in everything was fixed and refurbished."

"It happened late one night." Mr. Tamaguchi explained. "The neighbors complained of smoke coming from the air ducts and then I saw the flames coming from the Yamada's place. I called the fire department but it was too late. Nobody survived."

"What about the man that went into the apartment before the fire started?" Tai asked. "Did you see him?"

"No." Mr. Tamaguchi sighed. "Believe me, the police and I went over the tapes a dozen times but we never saw his face. He wore such a broad brimmed hat we couldn't even identify him from the back."

"That probably doesn't help much." Mrs. Asano said apologetically.

"It's okay." Kari said. "We had to start somewhere, and this seemed like the best place. Although I guess it doesn't help that everything looks normal. It looks like the fire never even happened."

"You know what? Why don't you stop by the local fire department?" Mr. Tamaguchi suggested. "They responded to the fire really fast and since it was pretty recent there's bound to be someone who would know about it."

"Thanks we'll try that." Yolei said. They kids stood, bowed and thanked the adults, and left the apartment.

"Well, off to the fire department we go!" Poromon said.

* * *

><p>The group that journeyed to the school found a little better luck. Rika's old schoolteacher still worked there and was more than happy to talk to them during her lunch break.<p>

"Rika was a very gifted student." The teacher, Mrs. Rishi, said. "She was one of those students where school came easy for her. Everything came easy for her. She and Sam Ichijōji were evenly matched for all their lives. Most of the school tried to make them a couple on Valentine's and White Day."

"Figures." Matt chuckled.

"She stayed here all her elementary school life and we fully expected her and Sam to go on to a good middle school either here or in Tamachi." Mrs. Rishi said. "I can't think of a single person who didn't like her."

_This doesn't help us. _Cody thought ruefully.

Izzy seemed to pick up on Cody's slight distress. "Did she have any idiosyncrasies? Any that maybe seemed concerning or just downright strange?"

"Oh no. She was pretty much the perfect child." Mrs. Rishi sighed. "That is…..until her….._incident._"

The DigiDestined kids perked up a little, and Upamon and Patamon had to fight to not gasp in surprise to blow their cover as toys. "Incident? What incident?" T.K. asked.

Mrs. Rishi bit her bottom lip nervously. "Well, one day Rika didn't come to school, and then word got out that she ended up in the hospital. Apparently someone had mortally wounded her; no one really knew why, but it became very clear that someone attacked her. She spent a couple nights in the hospital and then an entire week recuperating at home. By the time she returned to school she seemed only traumatized but otherwise fine."

"Yikes." T.K. breathed.

"What kind of creep attacks a little kid?" Matt growled. _Maybe that's why she's so secretive. Something happened that night to change her._

"How did you know she was traumatized?" Cody asked.

"Well who wouldn't be after being attacked?" Mrs. Rishi shrugged. "But there was a significant change in her character for a while. It didn't affect her studies; in fact, she seemed to study harder because of the event as though to distract her from socializing. And then there was…" She paused, staring off into space.

"What?" Izzy asked, almost eagerly.

"Well, for a long time she wouldn't play with any of the other children at recess." Mrs. Rishi explained. "I overheard some of the children complaining about how much time she spent talking to her imaginary friend. So I went to investigate myself. I saw what the other kids meant; Rika would be sitting by herself and just talking. It's like she was having a conversation like the one we're having now, but there wasn't anybody anywhere near her to respond. If Sam and his brother Ken hadn't been such devoted friends, we probably would've sent Rika to counselling."

"When did this start happening?" Matt asked.

"It started soon after if not the day she returned to school after her incident." Mrs. Rishi said. "A couple months passed and then the fire happened. The next day we lost Sam Ichijōji. His parents pulled his little brother Ken out of school and moved him to one closer to home. It was quite a sorrowful day."

The DigiDestined fell silent for a while, mourning a little bit. "Do you know which hospital Rika went to when she was hurt?" T.K. asked in a soft voice.

"Sorry, no." Mrs. Rishi shook her head. "But I'm sure they wrote a news story about it; maybe you can look it up and they recorded it. If you find it, I highly recommend checking them out. They might have more information than I can give you."

"Thank you Mrs. Rishi." Matt nodded as they all stood up to leave.

"Boys." Mrs. Rishi piped up, stopping them at the door. "If you end up finding Rika, if she truly is alive and you can possibly bring her back, maybe see if she has time to stop by here. We all miss the Yamada family, and Rika left quite an impact on our lives." She looked down. "To have her back…..would be wonderful."

* * *

><p>"It sounds like Rika and her family were pretty popular." Cody noted. The boys currently sat, a little crowded, on a park bench near the school.<p>

"Because they were kind and helpful and probably very wonderful people." Matt said. "I wonder what could've caused Rika's transformation."

"It could've been that attack that landed her in the hospital." T.K. suggested.

"It can't just be that." Matt said. "If it is, then it couldn't have just been the attack; something would need to have happened that night, or Rika's personality wouldn't have made such a big 180 turn."

"There's still so much we don't know. Mrs. Rishi only told us the same stuff the Digimon told us. I wonder how long she's been talking to herself." T.K. sighed. "Izzy, what's the status on finding the hospital?"

Izzy continued typing. "Here it is! Let's see…..'According to Rika she was attacked by a bad man that threatened her and her brother Ukito.'"

"A brother?" T.K. looked over at the article. _That's right. Rika did mention an older brother. This could be important._

"That's what it says." Izzy shrugged. "It also says the brother was too uncomfortable to talk about the incident, and at the time was staying with their grandparents to cope. And the hospital…ah, there we are! The International Medical Center of Japan in Shinjuku."

"All right then." T.K. said, standing up. "Back on the train we go I guess."

* * *

><p>"The Yamada family, huh?" the chief of the fire department rubbed his chin in thought. "Yeah, I remember that. Called in the middle of the night. By the time we arrived the entire complex was on fire but it hadn't spread to the rest of the apartments. We managed to get the fire out but nobody survived."<p>

"I don't suppose anyone was actually there that we could talk to now?" Tai requested.

"Hmm…" the chief thought for a moment. "I think Roka was there. He actually went inside to find the Yamada family to save them. He's usually inspecting trucks around this time."

"Thank you!" Kari said graciously. They all jogged off to find Roka and discovered the man inspecting the fire trucks, per the chief's prediction. Thankfully, the 30-year-old seemed to have time to talk about the Yamada fire.

"Yeah, I was in one of the first trucks that arrived." Roka told the kids. "I ran inside, hoping I could save the family. Everything was on fire except the floor and there was smoke everywhere. I never did find any of the family. Or the guy that broke in and supposedly caused the fire. Believe me, I searched the entire place at least three times; another guy had to come in and drag me out. There was no one."

"You sure you didn't see any open windows or something?" Yolei asked. "A way that someone could've gotten out?"

"Well, one of the windows was broken, and we found the body of Mrs. Yamada's father a block away. He must've jumped out and tried to run for help." Roka said. "But that wasn't even the weirdest part."

"There's a weirdest part?" Davis asked.

"Well, while I was in there I could see something through the smoke." Roka explained. "Even to this day I don't know if what I saw was even real."

"What was it?" Kari asked.

"I could see two shadows in the smoke." Roka said. "From the looks of it, they seemed to be fighting physically and verbally. But what really caught me off-guard was the fact that they seemed to be doing magic or something. I couldn't make any sense of it; when I shouted at them they suddenly disappeared."

"Well that _is _weird." Tai agreed.

"I'm afraid that's all I can say." Roka shrugged. "That fire was pretty bad, and that's the bottom line. No human could've survived."

The kids exchanged worried looks but thanked the man before leaving.

"A magic fight? In the middle of a fire?" Davis shook his head. "Sounds like something out of a fantasy film."

"Maybe the smoke was making his brain go loopy." DemiVeemon said.

"I don't think so." Yolei said, frowning in thought.

"Whatcha thinking about, Yolei?" Poromon asked.

"Well, he did say that no human could've survived; at least, no normal human. We've established that Rika is strange beyond reason all reason." Yolei said. "For all we know, she could have supernatural or even just magical powers."

"You don't still think she caused the fire, do you?" Kari asked.

"Why would she do that to her own family?" Gatomon said.

"If she did cause the fire, maybe she didn't do it on purpose." Yolei reasoned. "That man who broke into their home might've attacked them and she retaliated. In the fight, she could've accidentally set the apartment on fire."

"Maybe the reason she's so strange is because she's traumatized." Kari said. "Who wouldn't be after losing their family?"

"And if she's the one who caused it maybe it left a bigger blow." Tai added.

"No matter what the reason, we now have some good information to talk to Rika about." Gatomon said.

Yolei sighed. "Now I actually feel sorry for her. I mean she lost her entire family in a single night. I know I would feel bad if I did something that caused me to lose everything I loved."

"I say we take what we got and we meet up with the others." Kari suggested. "We need to talk to Rika ASAP."

"If she won't talk to us at night then sooner rather than later would be best." Gatomon said, looking to the fading afternoon sun.

"I'll email the others." Davis said. "We'll use Izzy's computer to open a portal and get to the DigiWorld."

* * *

><p>Matt, Izzy, T.K., and Cody tried to not look nervous when they entered the hospital. Even Patamon and Upamon started feeling fidgety in their trainer's arms. None of them knew what they would find at the hospital, but so far the school only gave them information they already knew. Hopefully the hospital could give them more answers.<p>

"Hello." Matt greeted one of the receptionists. "We were wondering if you have the records of a Rika Yamada."

"What for?" the receptionist asked. She seemed barely older than 20 years old, with a disdainful if not bored look in her eyes.

"Well, we heard that she died some years ago." Izzy said. "But we have reason to believe a girl we just met is her. We were hoping to gain some more information before confronting her."

"Are you with the police or something?" the receptionist asked.

"We're just trying to be her friend." T.K. said with a smile.

The receptionist raised an eyebrow. "Well, technically there's not receptionist-patient confidentiality agreement." She typed away on her computer, humming in thought. "Yeesh this girl's been here a lot. And our most recent picture shows she's only 8 or something."

"What was wrong with her?" Cody asked.

"Broken bones, a concussion, looks like normal injuries from soccer or some other sport." The receptionist said. "Are you looking for anything specific?"

"A major injury that required a hospital stay." Izzy said. "Approximately four years ago."

The receptionist typed away. "There we are; hey I think I remember this."

"You do?" T.K. blinked in surprise.

"I was in high school job shadowing my mom, she's a nurse here." The receptionist explained. "It was late one night when a boy in some sort of Halloween costume burst in through the doors carrying a small girl. He started shouting for help, saying his sister was hurt. It still makes me shudder to remember all the blood. The nurses came by and whisked the girl away. Her brother tried to follow but he needed to stay behind so the doctors could work on his sister." The receptionist sighed sadly. "The poor boy; he looked so close to having a panic attack. He wouldn't relax until the nurses let him go see his sister."

"That must've been Ukito." Izzy realized.

"Who was the doctor that worked on Rika?" Matt asked.

The receptionist stared at the computer screen for a moment. "Dr. Takahashi. Here let me call him."

Twenty minutes later the kids were introduced to a middle-aged man in a doctor's coat, blue scrubs, and a stethoscope slung around his neck. They settled down in one of the empty examination rooms to talk.

"Rika Yamada?" Dr. Takahashi nodded. "Yes I remember. Her brother, Ukito was his name? He brought her in seriously wounded. She bled so heavily I feared she was already dead when he brought her in. Anyway we took her in and put her into surgery. We had to sew her up and apply a lot of gauze to stop the bleeding. She still wouldn't wake up but she seemed stable enough. We put her in a room to rest and allowed her brother to come see her. The poor boy looked like he hadn't relaxed one second since bringing her in."

"Who _wouldn't _be so freaked out?" Cody said.

"If T.K. were in her position, I would be a mess." Matt admitted.

"We didn't think she'd make it." Dr. Takahashi admitted. "Her parents, grandparents, and brother stayed with her the rest of the night. The next day her grandparents took Ukito home. Surprisingly enough, Rika pulled through. She spent another night in the hospital before going home."

"What caused her injuries?" Cody asked.

"I'm not sure." Dr. Takahashi said. "Ukito said she was attacked, but couldn't go into details about it. Not even when the police came and questioned him. I guess he was pretty scared. I suppose the wound indicated she was stabbed or slashed."

"You suppose?" T.K. repeated. "You're not sure?"

"Well, it was a cut." Dr. Takahashi explained. "A little jagged, maybe the end of a whip. It was a really big cut and whatever hit her sliced right through her clothes and left a deep gash. But the thing that really made me wonder was the burn."

"Burn?" Cody cocked his head in confusion.

"The gash was surrounded by a burn mark." Dr. Takahashi said. "At first we joked that maybe her attacker used a flaming sword or something, but to this day we still can't explain it."

"Tell us, did she seem psychologically affected?" Izzy asked. "Started talking to herself at all?"

"Not that I knew of." Dr. Takahashi said. "I'm just surprised she actually survived. It was a miracle."

"How so?" Matt asked.

"Under normal circumstances, nobody would've survived a blow like the one Rika got, especially not a little kid." Dr. Takahashi said. He went to a computer and typed some things. "This is the picture we took to analyze her wound before wrapping it." Some minutes later a picture of Rika appeared. This time, she looked pale and absolutely ghastly, with a stitched-up wound running across her chest and blood trickling down either side of her body. The gash went from her shoulder and stopped at the bottom of her ribcage, and the red and raw skin around the cut indicated a clear and possibly third-degree burn.

"Wow." Izzy breathed. "How _did _she survive that?"

"We're not sure." Dr. Takahashi admitted. "But we didn't want to be ones to look a gift horse in the mouth."

The boys exchanged looks, and T.K. stared at the picture of the wounded Rika. _She looks like she's in so much pain. _T.K. thought. _What could she and Ukito have gone through to get so hurt? _T.K. jumped a little when his D-terminal beeped at him. "Kari just emailed me. We need to get going. Thanks Dr. Takahashi."

"You're very welcome." Dr. Takahashi said. "Best of luck to you guys!"

* * *

><p>"You guys find much?" Patamon asked.<p>

"Sort of." Gatomon said. "We think Rika may have fought with the man that broke into her home and that's how the fire started."

"At the school Rika's teacher told us she would talk to herself a lot instead of playing with the other kids." Matt said. "This happened soon after an attack that put her in the hospital."

"We also found out that she had a brother named Ukito and when they were younger they were attacked." T.K. said. "Rika was badly hurt and the hospital said it was a miracle she survived."

"We have some information that may force Rika to finally talk." Tai said. "It's going to be really hard for her to lie to us with this kind of information in mind."

"We need to head into the Digital World pronto." Davis said. "Rika will disappear when the sun sets and then we won't find her until tomorrow."

"Then we don't have much time." Izzy said, opening his laptop. "One Digi-port coming up!"

* * *

><p>Rika shouted in effort as she stabbed her blade down, breaking the Dark Ring around the Gotsumon's waist. It burst into dust and the eyes of the Gotsumon stopped glowing red.<p>

"Gee thanks kid!" the Gotsumon said with a smile.

Rika panted a little, but smiled and readjusted her hat. "Don't mention it. Now run along home."

"Hey, you don't have to tell me twice!" the Gotsumon laughed and he ran off.

The raven-haired girl shook her head and sheathed her sword. "Another day, another Dark Ring destroyed. I wish Ken hadn't made so many." She paused. "Only one more? You sure?" Pause. "Well okay. I trust you. But we gotta be careful. One of the last Digimon we fought was a nasty Monochromon." She started walking in a seemingly aimless direction. "What's wrong? You haven't been talking much." Pause. "Oh. That. I don't think I'll ever understand your logic." She looked down. "But I am sorry if my actions hurt you." Pause. "Clearly they are or you wouldn't be acting this way. Please talk to me." She waited, but no response came. Rika sighed, suddenly seeming exhausted. "Sometimes I don't know what to do with you."

"Hey Rika!"

Rika felt like she jumped right out of her skin when someone shouted her name and she turned to see Davis holding his head and Yolei glaring at him in irritation.

"Davis!" Yolei hissed so Rika wouldn't hear. "The whole point of sneaking up on her is to make sure she doesn't hear us!"

"Hey guys!" Rika greeted warmly as she approached. "Whatcha doin' in the bushes?"

"Nothing." Tai said. "We were actually looking for you."

"Rika this is Tai, my brother." Kari introduced. "And that's Matt, T.K.'s brother. And this is Izzy, a good friend of ours. The three of them were the DigiDestined before we were."

"Wow, cool!" Rika waved in greeting. "Did you guys have Digimon too?"

"Yeah, but that's not important." Izzy said.

"I think we're important!" Tentomon complained, earning him a bop on the head from Agumon and Gabumon.

"What's up?" Rika asked, her smile going to a confused frown.

"We wanted to ask you a few more questions." T.K. said, deciding it would be best to be honest from the start.

Rika's face showed no clear emotion, but everyone could tell she was a little irritated. "I thought I told you my past is not something I want to discuss."

"Well it's something we _need _to discuss." Matt insisted.

"Why?" Rika demanded.

"Because we want to be your friends but it's clear you're hiding something from us." Tai said. "It's not completely your fault, it's partially ours. We've had quite a lot of incidents where someone pretended to be our friend and turned out to be an enemy. If you're willing to talk to us, we'd be willing to answer any questions you might have."

"Well…" Rika looked down, the brim of her hat covering her eyes.

"Don't bother trying to hide it!" Davis shouted. "We did some investigating and now we know everything!"

_SMACK!_

"OUCH!" Davis whimpered.

"You are such an idiot!" Yolei shouted, having just slammed her fist into Davis's head.

"You did what?" Rika looked both shocked and very angry.

"Please don't be angry." Hawkmon pleaded. "We knew you wouldn't talk to us so willingly so we thought we'd find more information about you to have something to go on."

"We wanted so badly to know who you are that we had to go behind your back to find the answers." Armadillomon added.

"We're really sorry." Veemon finished.

For a moment, Rika looked ready to pull her sword on them. Instead, she just narrowed her eyes. "What did you find out?"

"You were very talented in school." Matt said.

"Your mom taught a cooking class." Tai said. "My mom was one of her students, you know."

"Your dad worked for a book publishing company." Kari said. "Your grandma went to knitting circles but other than that she and your grandpa were happily retired."

"You spent a lot of time in the hospital with sports injuries." Izzy said. "But you always managed to tough it out."

"You talk to yourself a lot." Veemon said. "Even when you were a little kid."

"Just from talking to you the past couple days we can see even more." Yolei said. "Like how strong and dedicated you are."

"And very talented with the martial arts and with that sword." Hawkmon added.

"You're kind." Cody said.

"Knowledgeable." Armadillomon said.

"Resourceful." T.K. said.

"Mysterious but friendly." Patamon added.

"Overall, a very exceptional human being." Gatomon finished.

"We think so too." Gabumon said. "Even though we haven't known you for very long."

Rika stared for a moment, the emotionless look back on her face. "Well it seems like you know all about me. So what questions could you possibly have?"

"Well we want to know who came to your apartment right before the fire started." Davis said.

"I don't know." Rika replied simply.

"Rika that fire took away your family and all the records in the Real World say that includes you." Tai said. "You being here proves otherwise. Surely you saw something."

"Well I didn't." Rika said, her fists beginning to clench.

"Then how did you survive?" Cody half-demanded.

"I can't tell you that." Rika growled.

"Why not?" Davis demanded.

"Because I was asked not to!" Rika snapped. "That's why!"

"Then tell us who told you not to tell." Kari requested in a kind voice.

Rika didn't answer for a moment. "I can't tell you that either."

"Did your imaginary friend tell you to say that?" Matt demanded.

Rika glared at him. "He's not imaginary! That's what everyone thought when I was a little girl but they were wrong! They were all wrong! He was never imaginary; they just couldn't see him!"

"Who is 'him'?" Tai asked.

Rika glared. "My brother."

The answer came as a bit of a surprise to the DigiDestined. "Your brother?" T.K. repeated.

"Are you being haunted or something?" Davis asked.

"No!" Rika snapped. "It's none of your concern. Just leave it alone."

"We can't, Rika." Yolei said.

"We're going to keep wondering and wondering about it until the truth comes out." Gatomon said. "Either from you telling us or from us finding it on our own. You can't run away from it."

"If you don't leave my past alone, then something bad is going to happen." Rika warned. "This is the only warning you'll get before you bite off more than you can chew."

"Rika." Patamon piped up. "You don't have to hide anything from us. We're your friends. You know you can trust us."

"I do know that." Rika said. "It's just—" A loud crashing sound interrupted her, and they all jumped when a spherical Digimon shot from the underbrush. The Digimon looked like a ball of metal with horns and a pair of arms with gloved hands. It looked as though its face was painted on: a pair of eyes with red irises and a sinister smile full of pointy teeth. In one hand the Digimon held a chainsaw and in the other a sort of ball with knobs that everyone suspected to be a bomb.

"Oh no it's Giromon!" Tentomon gulped. "He's a Machine Digimon whose Big Bang Boom attack will leave your ears ringing, if they don't get blown off that is!"

"Oh great." T.K. groaned. "Just what we needed."

"Maybe he'll just go away." Izzy said hopefully.

"Hey you stupid tin can!" Rika shouted. "We're trying to have a conversation here so scram!"

Giromon chuckled like a madman. _"Big Bang Boom!"_ He suddenly threw the red sphere in his hand towards the kids.

"_Blue Blaster!"_ Gabumon shot a stream of blue fire that hit the bomb and forced it to explode. Even from several feet away, the shockwave forced the kids and their Digimon to the ground.

"Great, now we've made him angry!" Tentomon cried.

"And he wasn't angry before?" Rika snapped, drawing her sword.

"Wait!" Tai grabbed Rika's arm to stop her from running into battle. "Let the Digimon handle this."

"We got it!" Patamon said.

"Yeah, come on guys!" Veemon cheered as the Digimon charged for Giromon.

"_Feather Strike!"_ Hawkmon threw the feather ornament in his headband, but Giromon used his chainsaw to knock it back.

"_Diamond Shell!"_ Armadillomon curled into a ball and shot towards Giromon.

"_V Head Butt!"_ Veemon jumped up and towards Giromon at the same time. But he and Armadillomon just ricocheted off Giromon and hit the ground.

"_Boom Bubble!"_ Patamon shot his biggest bubble.

"_Lightning Claw!"_ Gatomon came forward with her claws.

"_Super Shocker!"_ Tentomon put as much energy as he could into his electric attack. But even the three attacks combined did nothing.

"_Guillo Chainsaw!"_ Giromon threw his chainsaw, almost taking off the kids' heads before it came back like a boomerang.

"Guys, you gotta digivolve!" Matt urged.

"Right!" Veemon nodded.

"Let's go guys!" Gatomon urged.

Matt, Izzy, and Tai took out their Digivices and pointed it towards their Digimon.

"_Agumon digivolve to….Greymon!"_

"_Gabumon digivolve to….Garurumon!"_

"_Tentomon digivolve to….Kabuterimon!"_

"You guys are next!" Kari called as the second generation DigiDestined took out their D3s.

"_Digi-Armor Energize!"_

"_Armadillomon Armor Digivolve to…..…Digmon, the Drill of Knowledge!"_

"_Hawkmon Armor Digivolve to…..Halsemon, the Wings of Love!"_

"_Gatomon Armor Digivolve to…..Nefertimon, Angel of Light!"_

"_Patamon Armor Digivolve to…..Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!"_

"_Veemon Armor Digivolve to….Flamedramon, the Fire of Courage!"_

"Let's do this guys!" Flamedramon encouraged. _"Fire Rocket!"_

"_Tempest Wing!"_

"_Queen's Paw!"_

"_Aqueous Beam!"_

"_Gold Rush!"_

Giromon floated and shot around like a fly, dodging their attacks or deflecting them with ease. He launched a few more Big Bang Boom attacks, blasting the Digimon aside. Garurumon jumped up and bit down on Giromon like a dog with a toy ball, but suddenly the metal Digimon slammed into the ground with the wolf Digimon beneath him, forcing him to let go. Kabuterimon and Greymon launched simultaneous attacks, but he dodged them both.

"I grow tired of these games." Giromon chuckled. _"Deadly Bomb!"_

Suddenly, the small red bomb in his hand grew and grew until it was twice the size of himself. Before anyone could react, he shot it up into the air. It exploded far from them, but the shockwave and fire from the explosion forced them all to the ground and the smoke clouded their vision. When it settled, the Digimon dedigivolved to their Rookie Level forms and laid on the ground without much energy. The kids stared in horror. Giromon laughed and shot towards the closest Digimon, who happened to be Gatomon, and prepared to slice her in half with his chainsaw.

_CLANG!_

Giromon's smirk wavered when Rika's chisa katana prevented him from continuing his attack. The raven-haired girl glared hard, her dark lavender eyes burning. "Do _not _touch them."

Rika pushed Giromon's chainsaw away and performed a perfect front kick to what would be his chin if he had one. Even though she used the ball of her foot to prevent herself from breaking her toes, she still felt pain radiating through her foot. She hopped up and down on her good foot, growling at the metal Digimon.

"I'll show you you little punk!" Rika shouted. She jumped up as Giromon shot towards her. The girl used her sword to knock aside the chainsaw and then raised her sword for a second attack.

"No don't!"

Rika grunted when Cody suddenly tackled her to the ground. Giromon came down with his chainsaw but suddenly Armadillomon appeared, ramming into Giromon and slamming him into a tree. Armadillomon landed perfectly on his feet while Giromon slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Cody, Rika. You okay?" Armadillomon asked.

Rika growled and pushed Cody off her. "What in the name of the DigiWorld is wrong with you?"

"You were about to kill an innocent Digimon!" Cody snapped.

"I was not!" Rika protested.

"It certainly looked like it." T.K. said as the kids came to their Digimon. "We don't kill Digimon, Rika. That's important to keep in mind."

"I wasn't going to kill him!" Rika shouted, standing up and sheathing her blade. "I was going to take care of that stupid chainsaw of his."

"We wouldn't have needed to fight him if it weren't for you!" Davis snapped. "You just _had_ to shout at him didn't you?"

"You would've done the same." Rika countered. "You tried to trick Veemon into digivolving by picking fights."

"Is that why you and Ukito were attacked?" Cody demanded. "Because you were picking fights?"

Rika's eyes widened and her pupils and irises constricted in anger. "What do you know of Ukito?"

"We know you two were attacked by someone and you were the one who got hurt." Matt said.

"Why were you attacked?" Agumon asked.

"Was it because you thought you could take him down on your own?" Veemon asked, more out of innocence than accusation.

"You have _no idea _what I went through that day!" Rika screamed. "Or what Ukito went through!"

"If would just tell us none of this would be a problem!" Davis shouted. "Instead you have to keep secrets and all it does is show that you're an enemy! You don't care about us! I bet you didn't even care about your brother!"

The second those last words left his mouth, Davis realized what he said. Before he could react, Rika's fist suddenly met his face and he flew backwards and to the ground.

"Fine! If that's how you treat someone who just saved your life then I don't want anything to do with you anymore!" Rika turned on her heel, stomping away. "You don't want my help? Fine! Then don't expect me to come saving your butts again! You're on your own!" She broke into a run, darting between trees and leaping over roots. _You were right. Okay you were right. I never should've let them know who we were. I never should've revealed myself. I should've kept us in the shadows…..in the darkness…..where we belong._


	9. The Truth Comes Out

**The Truth Comes Out**

"Nice going, Davis." Kari groaned.

"I'm sorry!" Davis cried. "I know, I'm an idiot! But we have to find her!"

"Forget it." T.K. sighed. "We're never going to find her again. We've lost our only chance at gaining her as a friend."

"I'm really sorry." Davis groaned.

"Don't worry Davis." Tai reassured. "Based on what you guys said about her, I don't think it was going to be so easy to befriend her. I mean, her personality and mood jumps around like crazy; she's impossible to predict."

Everyone gave a collective sigh. "Well, you may have a point there." Hawkmon said.

"Maybe she doesn't want any friends." Gabumon suggested.

"I'm not so sure." Gatomon said. "Didn't you see her when Giromon came at me? She was so protective and looked so angry at him. It was like she was insulted that he even _considered _hurting me….or any of us. Even if she seems like she doesn't like us, I think all she wants is to protect us."

Gatomon's theory made everyone go quiet to think. It certainly made sense. However at that point just about anything made sense to them. While they knew much about Rika at that point, it seemed as though a few key details were still missing and until they found those details they knew next to nothing.

"Hey look at that!" Yolei's cry pulled them from their thoughts and they followed her point to a familiar ring-shaped piece of machinery several yards above their heads.

"I thought the Control Spires were out of commission!" Izzy said. "Why are the Dark Rings still working?"

"They don't need the Control Spires to work." T.K. said. "They're built to make a Digimon evil, obeying only the Digimon Emperor."

"Then we have to destroy it fast." Cody said.

"We're on it." Matt nodded. "Gabumon?" But before Gabumon could launch an attack to destroy the ring, the dark instrument shot down and clamped itself around Giromon's body. The metal Digimon's eyes shot open and then turned a heated red. He chuckled evilly as he floated off the ground, holding his weapons ready.

"DigiDestined." Giromon laughed. "Prepare to be destroyed! _Big Bang Boom!"_

Everyone jumped to one side as the bomb went off and almost blew them to bits. A long ways off, Rika suddenly paused and spun around with a gasp. "Oh no! They're in trouble! I knew I shouldn't have left them alone!" She turned back and sprinted through the trees, back towards the DigiDestined. "Hold on guys! I'm coming!"

"We can't beat him in our Rookie forms!" Tentomon cried as they dodged Giromon's chainsaw. "We have to digivolve!"

"But you guys don't have the strength!" Kari protested.

"We don't, but the others can Armor Digivolve no problem." Agumon said.

"Yeah we'll help how we can but it's up to you now!" Gabumon chimed in.

"You guys think you can do it?" T.K. asked. The Digimon nodded. "Okay then let's go!"

"_Digi-Armor Energize!"_

"_Armadillomon Armor Digivolve to…..…Digmon, the Drill of Knowledge!"_

"_Hawkmon Armor Digivolve to…..Shurimon, the Samurai of Sincerity!"_

"_Gatomon Armor Digivolve to…..Nefertimon, Angel of Light!"_

"_Patamon Armor Digivolve to…..Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!"_

"_Veemon Armor Digivolve to….Raidramon, the Storm of Friendship!"_

Giromon shot forward with his chainsaw again, but this time the Digimon were ready. Shurimon used his shuriken hands to block the attack and Raidramon launched a lightning attack to knock the metal Digimon aside. Digmon shot his drills at Giromon and snared the handle of the chainsaw, pinning it to a tree. Nefertimon and Pegasusmon created their Golden Noose to capture the evil Digimon, but suddenly Giromon grabbed the ropes in his hands and shot forward like a rocket, causing the golden rope to tighten and force Nefertimon and Pegasusmon to crash together. Before they could come to their senses, Giromon used their own rope to tie their heads and necks together, shoving the Digimon into the ground.

"This is extremely uncomfortable." Pegasusmon groaned.

"You're telling me." Nefertimon agreed.

"_Big Bang Boom!"_ Giromon summoned another bomb and threw it towards the downed Digimon, but Raidramon and Digmon shoved them aside and the bomb hit the dirt. Shurimon quickly cut through the rope and freed his entrapped friends, all of them gathering together and glaring at the red-eyed Digimon before them.

Giromon chuckled evilly. "You cannot defeat me! Darkness will consume you all and you will die!" He laughed maniacally again, only to be cut off when a sharp projectile hit his head. While it didn't pierce or destroy him, it left a noticeable scratch, and Giromon growled as his attacker flipped and turned over his head and landed in front of the DigiDestined Digimon.

"Sorry to rain on your parade." Rika growled, tilting her hat out of her eyes. "But you're not doing any more destroying today."

"Rika!" Nefertimon gasped.

"I thought you said we were on our own." Tai said incredulously.

"Yeah I lied." Rika admitted. "Even though you guys make me angry I'm still obligated to protect you."

"You sure about this?" Shurimon asked. "It's dangerous."

Rika smirked. "_I'm _dangerous." She suddenly leaped forward, slashing her blade again and almost taking off one of Giromon's horns.

"Well? What are we doing just standing here?" Raidramon asked, running into battle. _"Thunder Blast!"_

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm with him!" Nefertimon jumped into the fight, the other Digimon fighting.

Meanwhile, the DigiDestined watched from the safety of the tree line, staring in awe. "Look at Rika go!" Gabumon breathed.

"She's so strong!" Agumon exclaimed.

"And fast!" Tentomon added.

"You have to wonder just how long she lived in the Digital World to gain the knowledge and power needed to fight Digimon." Yolei said.

"She said 'a while.'" T.K. said. "But I'm starting to think 'a while' might mean longer than we think."

"I know it's been said before but I'll say it again." Matt said. "That girl is really weird."

"She must have her reasons for keeping secrets from us." Kari said. "But I think she really just wants to be our friend."

"She did say she felt obligated to protect us." Tai said.

"But why?" Yolei asked. "We only met her a few days ago."

"And yet she's been watching us for much longer." Cody reminded them. "Why?"

No one had an answer; most of them were watching the battle intently to make sure nobody got hurt or to pull anyone away. _There's so much we don't know about her. _Kari thought. _So much she's hiding. And yet…I can't help but feel like I've seen her before. But where? When? What is it about this girl that seems so familiar? Like an old friend._

Rika shouted in pain as she hit the ground, having just been tossed aside by Giromon. She glared at the controlled Digimon, hate burning in her eyes. But then she noticed several tiny dots in the sky and a bright white circle that could only be the moon and stars. She looked to the horizon and could see the sun beginning to set, meaning she didn't have much time left. _I have to leave before…but no, I can't do that. Not when these guys are in the middle of a fight. They won't be able to beat him; they don't have as much energy since that last Deadly Bomb. But I can't….or can I? _"It's now or never." She spoke to no one in particular. "Make your decision."

Nefertimon crashed into the ground, dedigivolving back to Gatomon. She sat up, glaring and growling at Giromon**.** "Gatomon." The cat Digimon turned to Rika, who spoke, as the human knelt beside her.

"Yes?" Gatomon asked.

"I have something important to ask you." Rika said, staring at Giromonas the other DigiDestined Digimon fought him**. **"If your friend Wizardmon were here, if he stood right here beside you, would you be angry?"

Gatomon stared for a moment. "What are you talking about? Wizardmon's dead and he's not coming back."

"Humor me." Rika's tone went a little dark.

Gatomon looked down. "Of course I wouldn't be mad. I'd be happy. Wizardmon was my first and truest friend. He trusted me and protected me." She smiled softly. "If Wizardmon were here now, as a living Digimon and not a ghost, I'd give him the biggest hug I can give."

"_Big Bang Bomb!"_ Giromon launched two of his bombs at his opponents, blasting them away and forcing them to slam into the trees and hit the ground. The Digimon suddenly dedigivolved to their Rookie forms, much to the horror of their human partners.

Rika smiled warmly at Gatomon. "That's what I like to hear." She stood up and sheathed her sword, glaring at Giromonagain. "Everyone! Keep your Digimon back."

"What? Why?" Everyone gasped.

"I have something to tell you." Rika said. "Or, rather, I have something to _show _you. And I'm going to trust that you won't run away or get scared."

"Rika, what are you talking about?" T.K. asked worriedly.

Rika didn't answer. She stepped forward and stood several feet from Giromon**. **He chuckled evilly, but Rika remained unfazed. Everyone stared in horror as the evil Digimon shot down to strike Rika with his chainsaw.

The sun finally slipped beneath the horizon, and a circle of light burst forth to surround the raven-haired girl. Giromon reared back, screeching in shock and fear. The DigiDestined, human and Digimon alike, stared in shock.

"What's happening?" Kari asked worriedly.

"I think this is what Rika wanted to show us." Cody said. "This must be the reason she disappears before it gets dark out!"

Though the sphere shined with a golden glow, it was still translucent enough that they could see what happened. The sphere floated several feet off the ground, and Rika began to change. She held out her arms and the light passed over them, covering her bare hands and arms with brown gloves and cream-colored sleeves. She pulled her hands in and swiped them down, and a navy blue cape with strange white symbols on the inside flowed down her back with a cowl the color of her cape covering the bottom half of her face, clasped in the front with a skull-shaped pin. A pair of brown shoes with crescent moon buckles appeared on her bare feet, and from there the light continued on to change her pajamas into a cream colored jumper with strange red designs, zippers, and a red vest. She took her sword and sheath in her hand and it transformed into a wooden staff with a sun ornament on top. Her hair turned the color of straw. Rika reached up and pulled the rim of her hat down over her face….

….and when she lifted her head again she completed her transformation to Wizardmon.

Gatomon stared in shock and amazement. "Wizardmon…"

"It can't be!" Tai gasped.

"I thought he was a ghost!" Yolei breathed.

The light around Wizardmon died down, and he shot forward and straight into battle. _"Magical Game!"_ He cried, launching an attack at Giromonand knocking him backwards.

"And now for my final trick." Wizardmon reached into a pocket under his vest and pulled out a Digivice, the exact same design as the older generation's devices. _"Digi-Armor Energize!"_

Another bright light engulfed Wizardmon, and he started to change in form. His cape seemed to conform into a pair of wings, and his clothes changed to white and gold armor. His hat and cowl became a sort of helmet, his piercing green eyes showing through a pair of eyeholes.

"_Wizardmon Armor Digivolve to…..Dynasmon, the Angel of Darkness."_

Everyone gasped again. "He Armor Digivolved!" Davis breathed.

"And into Dynasmon no less!" Tentomon exclaimed in awe. "Pray he doesn't use his Breath of Wyvern attack or you'll be doomed for sure!"

"_Dragon's Roar!"_ Dynasmon pointed his palms towards Giromon, launching numerous red blasts that peppered Giromon relentlessly. The metal Digimon hit the ground, but shot up again and swung his chainsaw around. Dynasmon ducked, shooting his foot up and kicking Giromon like a soccer ball. Giromon shouted in surprise and a little terror as he spiraled upwards, high into the sky. The DigiDestined cheered, but jumped when another bomb exploded in the air, the shockwave pushing Dynasmon down a few feet. Giromon shot down fast, throwing his chainsaw at Dynasmon. The winged Digimon just moved out of the way, but didn't anticipate the weapon to spin around like a boomerang and slice past his arm, leaving a gash.

Dynasmon shouted in pain, glaring at Giromon. "Well I hope you enjoyed that because it's the last attack you'll land on me."

"I will destroy you!" Giromon shouted. _"Deadly—"_

"_Breath of Wyvern!"_ Dynasmon launched his attack first, and suddenly a light appeared above his head. The light manifested into the ghostly form of a dragon who roared loudly, making Giromon shake in fear. The dragon shot down, clamping its jaws around the Giromon. The metal Digimon shouted in pain as the power surged through him for several seconds. Then, the dragon disappeared and Giromon fell to the ground. Dynasmon dedigivolved back to Wizardmon and floated down to Giromon, marching up to the cowering ball of metal.

"Please have mercy!" Giromon begged. "I'm begging you!"

"Oh just hold still you big baby." Wizardmon droned, pointing his staff at the Digimon. _"Magical Game."_ Giromon shouted in terror, but the blue lightning attack just hit the Dark Ring around him, destroying it. Giromon blinked a few times and his glowing red eyes returned to normal.

"You aren't going to destroy me?" Giromon asked.

"Of course not." Wizardmon said it as though it were obvious. "I don't kill Digimon unless I know they're too dangerous to be kept alive. You're not dangerous; just a nuisance."

Giromon looked ready to protest, but then remembered the pain from Dynasmon and decided against it. "Uh, yeah, that's right! A nuisance! That's me!" He chuckled nervously.

"That's right." Wizardmon nodded. "Now run along before I drop kick you to the other side of the forest."

"Okie dokie!" Giromon chuckled nervously as he floated off. "Bye now!"

Wizardmon shook his head and turned to the DigiDestined, all of them staring at him in shock and a little awe. Wizardmon walked up to the kids and their Digimon, stopping in front of Gatomon. He looked down at the cat Digimon, unsure of what to say for a while. The Majin couldn't read Gatomon's expression, and he refused to read her thoughts. He greatly feared her reaction, knowing she searched for him these past few years only to find him as a ghost in Odaiba. Now he stood before her, unsure what to expect but hoping she didn't claw him.

"Gatomon." Wizardmon said, unable to say anything else.

Gatomon stared at Wizardmon, then her sapphire eyes glared at the ground. "It can't be. You're not here. You're dead, Wizardmon." She started pinching herself, tears building in her eyes from the sorrow and pain. "This is all just a dream. I have to wake up before I watch you die again. I have to wake up!"

"Gatomon." Wizardmon knelt down and took Gatomon's paw, stopping her from pinching herself. She gasped softly and looked up into Wizardmon's eyes, her mouth hanging open a little. "I thought you were a dream too." Wizardmon said. "When I fell out of the sky and crashed into that village, all I could do was lay there, too weak to move. Nobody came to help me. I would've died….had an angel not come to save me." He smiled warmly, placing a gloved hand between Gatomon's ears and rubbing her head affectionately. "I will always be grateful for your friendship, Gatomon. Thank you."

Gatomon finally seemed to realize that Wizardmon actually held her paw and rested his hand on her head, and he wasn't going right through her like a ghost. She whimpered a little, her tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Only now they were out of joy. "Wizardmon!" She cried, jumping up and wrapping her arms around his neck. Wizardmon held Gatomon close, happy tears disappearing into his cowl.

"Gatomon." Wizardmon sighed. "I've missed you." He looked up as Kari approached, crying tears of her own. "Kari. You're looking well."

Kari continued to cry, kneeling down to pull Wizardmon into a hug. "Wizardmon. You're here. You're really here."

"Wizardmon!" T.K. laughed, he and Patamon coming over to join in the hug.

"Welcome back, Wizardmon." Patamon laughed. Tai, Matt, Izzy and even Tentomon, Gabumon, and Agumon ran forward to join in. Wizardmon sighed happily, taking in the warmth of their welcomes.

In his head, he could hear the voice of Rika, and he swore he could see her smirking. _Told you they'd be happy._

_Oh shut up. _Wizardmon thought, only making Rika laugh.

* * *

><p>After everyone settled down from the shock and made a fire to stave off the cold, Wizardmon could finally sit down with everybody and summon a ghostly form of Rika to rest beside him. Together, they told their story to the DigiDestined.<p>

"I wandered around Odaiba for a while before a strange man came to me." Wizardmon said. "Somehow he was able to gather my scattered data bits and bring me back to life. He gave me this Digivice, tag, and Crest and told me to find the child they belonged to and be their Digimon partner." Wizardmon held up the items mentioned for everyone to see. The Crest in the tag was black as obsidian, with a crescent moon and a star symbol. "After three days I still didn't find much. Then I was attacked by some very drunk teenagers and suddenly Rika came to save me."

"I didn't do much." Rika shrugged. "Just pounded them into dust."

"Afterwards she took me to her home to help me heal." Wizardmon continued. "That same evening we discovered the Digivice and Crest reacted to Rika's touch, and I knew at once she had to be the DigiDestined I was searching for."

"Then my training began." Rika said. "Wizardmon stayed with me and my family and we found a way into the Digital World, where we learned how to use the Digivice to help him digivolve. One day we found a strange Digi-Egg, and that's how we found out about Armor Digivolving. It was really cool!"

"How did your family feel about this?" Tai asked.

"They were cool with it." Rika shrugged. "In fact, they loved having Wizardmon in the family. We decided that since Wizardmon already looked human enough we could pass him off as one if we wanted to go outside. Soon he became a regular part of the family, and thus my brother Ukito was born!"

"So it's Wizardmon who's your brother." Veemon guessed. "And Ukito is just a human name you gave him so nobody would suspect anything!"

"That's right." Wizardmon nodded.

"So how did you become fused together like this?" Davis asked.

"I would think you guys would know that considering you decided to stalk me." Rika smirked.

The DigiDestined laughed, albeit nervously. "All we know is that you were attacked and Ukito, or I guess Wizardmon, brought you to the hospital." T.K. said. "Do you know who attacked you?"

"No but I can say it was some sort of Digimon." Wizardmon said. "Probably a leftover Bakemon from Myotismon's attack. He attacked me and Rika while we were out and Rika was hurt badly. I managed to defeat the Digimon and flew Rika to the nearest hospital. But I knew from looking at her wounds that she wouldn't survive. I wasn't about to let her die because I got her mixed into such a mess. So I decided to give her my life by fusing my data and life force with hers."

"That must've been the miracle Dr. Takahashi talked about." Matt said. "Rika wouldn't have survived without you."

"But I'm afraid the spell was a little wonky." Wizardmon sighed. "I only had my magic and not the proper tools to make a potion to couple with it. Now, Rika and I share the same physical, spiritual, and mental state of being. During the daytime Rika's form comes out, and during the night I come out."

"That explains why Rika always disappeared when the sun went down." Armadillomon said.

"And why she always seemed to be talking herself." Patamon added. "She was talking with you, wasn't she?"

"That's right." Wizardmon nodded.

"I was a little too young to realize that what I was doing looked strange to people." Rika shrugged. Her face fell. "Wizardmon and I were happy the way we are now, and my parents and grandparents got used to it fast; they still called Wizardmon their son and everything. But then that fire happened…."

Everyone fell silent for a moment. "What happened?" Agumon asked timidly.

"When either Rika or I are spirits and not occupying our shared body, we have the option to sleep." Wizardmon explained. "Rika was asleep when it happened, and I was going to fly around for a bit. Just for the fun of it, that's all. While I was back in our room, I heard voices from the hallway, and then a fight broke out. Apparently whoever the man was he wanted me." He stared at the flames of the fire before him. "It all happened so fast. I just wanted him to leave but then the apartment caught fire in our battle. He killed Rika's parents and grandparents and I couldn't do a thing about it. I fought back how I could, but he was strong and I was angry. When we heard the voice of a third person, saying they were from the fire department, I knew I couldn't stay. So I ran away."

Gatomon noticed Wizardmon's eyes go glassy and she placed a comforting hand on his knee. "You did what you had to do. You would've died if you stayed there."

"I know." Wizardmon sighed.

"When we switched back the next day and I woke up, Wizardmon had to explain everything to me." Rika said. "He ended up flying so far that I couldn't tell where we were. But we knew that the man who attacked us would probably come back, and we immediately left for the Digital World. We've been here ever since. It was Wizardmon's idea to watch over you guys when you came along, just to make sure you were okay."

"You were always watching over us, weren't you Wizardmon?" Tai guessed with a smile. "Thanks."

Wizardmon smiled under his cowl. "I guess it's just in my nature to be protective of the people I care about."

"But who was the man that gave you the Crest and Digivice?" Kari asked.

"Not sure." Wizardmon admitted. "I never really saw his face. All he said was that this is the Crest of Darkness."

"Darkness?" Hawkmon repeated. "Oh my."

"We're not sure what it means." Rika said. "But we keep it around anyway." The other DigiDestined fell silent. Tai, Matt, T.K., Kari, and Izzy thought back to their Crests, and how each one symbolized their strongest character trait. So what did it mean if Rika's was darkness? "Well, we should probably get going." Rika said suddenly.

"Yeah we should too." Kari decided. "We're doing more cleanup work tomorrow. Wizardmon, Rika, you're welcome to join us."

"That'd be great!" Rika nodded. "Where should we meet?"

"How about at Tai and Kari's house?" Yolei suggested. "We can open a Digi-port there."

"I think Rika meant where we should meet in the Digital World." Wizardmon said.

"What are you talking about?" Veemon scoffed. "You're coming with us!"

"Guys, have you not been listening?" Rika said. "Wizardmon and I don't have a home in the Real World."

"You do now." Kari said. "You can stay with me, Tai, and Gatomon."

"We don't want to be any trouble." Wizardmon said. "We've lived in the Digital World long enough to be used to it."

"Nonsense." Tai said. "You guys need a better home than the forest and we're not taking 'no' for an answer. I mean, we may have to hide Wizardmon when it gets dark but we insist you come."

Rika and Wizardmon exchanged looks. "Well, only if we don't get in the way." Rika decided. "We'll find some way to pay you back."

"Don't worry about it!" Kari assured, smiling warmly. "Izzy, open up the Digi-port. We're going home. _All _of us."

Wizardmon smiled back at Kari. "Thank you. All of you; for understanding our situation."

"Well you guys are pretty strange." Davis shrugged, only to earn a smack on the head from Yolei.

"But hey, we're DigiDestined. Who ever said we were normal?" Yolei said, making everyone laugh.

* * *

><p>"Just make sure you guys let me know when you're going to stay out so late." Kari and Tai's mother said.<p>

"Okay Mom. Sorry." Tai said.

"Just so you know, some friends and I are going to be out for most of the day tomorrow." Kari said.

"Okay, just be safe." Mrs. Kamiya said. "Pack a lunch if you need it."

"Okay." Kari nodded. "Well I have to get up a little early tomorrow so I'm going to bed."

"Before you do that could you help me with something?" Tai asked. Kari nodded, smiling knowingly.

"Goodnight Mom!" the kids waved to their mother.

"Goodnight sweethearts!" Mrs. Kamiya said, waving from her spot on the couch.

Kari and Tai slipped into Tai's room, closing the door and jogging over to the sliding glass door to the balcony. Gatomon jumped from Kari's arms and ran to the edge, leaping to the railing. "Hey Wizardmon! Come on up!"

Within seconds, Wizardmon appeared before them, touching down on the balcony. "Thank you again for accepting me and Rika into your home."

"Where is Rika anyway?" Kari asked.

"She's asleep." Wizardmon said. "When we wake up tomorrow she'll take physical form again."

"Well okay then." Tai nodded. "You guys should get some sleep too. You've got a lot of work to do."

"And I guess you're not going to help us." Kari guessed with a smirk.

"Hey, I already saved the Digital World and cleaned up after myself." Tai raised his hands in defense. "You guys are the DigiDestined now; you do it."

"Whatever." Kari rolled her eyes, walking back towards her room with Gatomon walking beside her. Wizardmon chuckled and started to follow, but Tai stopped him.

"You know I never did get the chance to formally thank you." Tai said. "You risked a lot by betraying Myotismon and then gave your life to save my little sister."

"It was an honor." Wizardmon nodded. "And some of the first bit of good I had done in a long time."

"But why?" Tai asked. "Why would you give your life to a little kid you hardly knew?"

Wizardmon thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. Maybe because she seemed to consider me a friend within the first few minutes I met her. Because she had this comforting aura that reminded me of someone I knew from long ago. And because Gatomon is my friend. Any friend of Gatomon is a friend of mine. Then again, think back to the first time you met your Digimon."

Tai thought for a moment, back when he first woke up in the Digital World and found Koromon almost nose to nose with him. "I guess I was pretty freaked out, but I had the strangest feeling he would be a great friend. So I trusted him." He smiled at Wizardmon. "I guess Kari just has that kind of personality that draws people in."

"I like to think so." Wizardmon nodded. "I do care for her, and so I will protect her."

Tai smiled. "Thanks, Wizardmon. You're a true friend."

"And you're an exceptional older brother." Wizardmon smiled.

* * *

><p>"Sorry to force you in the closet but our mom doesn't really know about Digimon yet." Kari said, lying a Japanese futon mattress and pillow on the floor of her closet.<p>

"Are you kidding? After sleeping in the dirt and trees for so long this'll be like sleeping in the bed of a king." Wizardmon settled down on the futon, but suddenly yelped in pain and pulled a sneaker out from under his back. "Only with more shoes."

Kari laughed, handing Wizardmon a blanket. "Sleep well, Wizardmon. I'm really glad to have you back."

"It's good to be back." Wizardmon nodded. He accepted Kari's last hug before she shut the closet door and left him to sleep. He pulled his hat down over his eyes and the blanket up to his chest, settling down for his first peaceful night's sleep in a long time.

Kari moved over to her bed and crawled under the covers. Only one thing seemed missing. "Gatomon?" She looked to the foot of her bed to see Gatomon standing on the railing, staring intently at the closet. "Hey Gatomon. Come on, let's get some sleep."

Gatomon gasped softly, as though jolted from her thoughts. She trotted over to Kari and curled up beside her human companion without a word. Kari would've asked what ran through Gatomon's head, but she figured the white cat was still in shock over seeing her long lost friend alive and well. So the brunette just laid down and stroked Gatomon's fur soothingly, both of them drifting off to their dreams.

* * *

><p>"<em>Every time you look at me with those eyes I'll have to hurt you again!" Myotismon shouted. <em>"Crimson Lightning!"

Just stop. _Salamon wanted to scream at the vampire Digimon, but she feared it would only cause him to hurt her more. She closed her eyes and prepared for another strike._

"_Leave her alone!"_

_Suddenly, Salamon opened her eyes and found she changed into Gatomon. Wizardmon stood beside her and Myotismon in front of them, back on that island in Tokyo Harbor. Wizardmon shot forward, sending blue lightning from his staff. Myotismon deflected it and swung his Crimson Lightning whip, wrapping it around Wizardmon's throat. Gatomon tried to run to help, but suddenly found chains around her wrists and planted in the ground, preventing her from running to her friend. She watched, horrified, as Myotismon lifted Wizardmon into the air and slammed him into the ground repeatedly, the last blow causing blood to spew from his sewn mouth._

"_Stop it!" Gatomon screamed. "Stop hurting him!"_

"_You need to be taught a lesson." Myotismon said. "And if this helps you learn to not disobey me, then so be it. _Grisly Wing!_"_

_Those bats. Those bats haunted her almost as much as the one who always sent them. The little black creatures lifted the beaten and weak Wizardmon and held him over the waters to the harbor._

"_No please!" Gatomon begged. "Not that!"_

_But the bats suddenly released Wizardmon and he splashed into the frigid waters. He struggled to remain on the surface, but already it seemed some invisible force pulled him under._

"_Gatomon!" he cried. "Please help me!"_

"_Wizardmon!" Gatomon screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "NO!"_

* * *

><p>Gatomon jolted awake, breathing heavily. <em>Just a dream. Just a dream. It can't hurt me. Wizardmon's alive. He's not going anywh— <em>She suddenly noticed movement and perked up when she saw Wizardmon at the door. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Just to get a glass of water." Wizardmon replied quietly.

"I'll come with you!" Gatomon leaped off Kari's bed and hurried over.

"I don't think it takes more than one Digimon to get a glass of water." Wizardmon chuckled.

"I insist." Gatomon said firmly. Wizardmon paused, but nodded and allowed Gatomon to follow him to the kitchen. The feline Digimon showed him where to get a cup and the water pitcher in the fridge. Wizardmon poured them each a glass and they quietly journeyed out to the terrace. They each took a chair at the small table, facing the open night air and just staring for a while. Gatomon looked over as Wizardmon pulled down his cowl and took a drink. The white cat stared at the black thread over Wizardmon's mouth, mesmerized. She could remember when she first saw the sewn mouth of the Digimon and her shock by it. With the cowl Wizardmon looked calm and peaceful, but just one look at the thread over his mouth and many Digimon, Gatomon included, thought he looked a little freaky if not monstrous.

Wizardmon noticed Gatomon's stare. "Something wrong?"

Gatomon jumped and turned away. "No."

The Majin Digimon stared at his feline friend. "I can tell you're lying."

"I don't want to talk about it." Gatomon turned her head from Wizardmon, staring at the ground.

Wizardmon stared at Gatomon for a moment before taking another drink. "It's good to actually talk to you again."

Gatomon didn't answer for a moment. "It's good just to see you again…..in person, and not in my dreams."

"Oh, so you've been dreaming of me?" Wizardmon said with a sly, teasing smirk. Gatomon stared at her water, hardly noticing the tears building up in her eyes. When Wizardmon saw this, his smile disappeared. "That was a joke, you know."

"I know." Gatomon sighed.

Wizardmon set his water down on the table and pulled his chair over to be next to Gatomon. "What's wrong? Why do you keep your emotions from me?"

"It's not that." Gatomon sniffed. "I just don't want to feel that pain anymore. They say dreams can't hurt you but whoever said that is wrong."

Gatomon tried to turn her face from Wizardmon again, but he gently turned it back to him. His eyes still held that permanent scowl look, but she could tell he was smile comfortingly. "Gatomon. I'm your friend. Talk to me."

The white cat Digimon averted her eyes, trying but failing to stop her tears. "I had to watch you die. You took the attack meant for me and you died right in front of my eyes." Gatomon sniffed, tears pouring down. "And then I would get nightmares when I had to watch you die again and again. Each time it felt like Myotismon's Crimson Lightning hit me right in the heart. I'm so scared that this is all a dream right now and I'll wake up to find you gone again. I don't want to feel that pain anymore; it hurts more than any torture Myotismon inflicted on me." She started crying softly, her fists clenched. If she hadn't set her glass down she might've broken it.

Wizardmon stared sadly for a moment before lifting Gatomon up and holding her close, gently rubbing her back and letting her cry into his shoulder. "Gatomon. It's all right. I promise you this isn't a dream. Even though I can only come out at night, I can assure you I am very much alive." He lifted his gloved hand to Gatomon. "See? Nice and solid. Not a ghost." Gatomon, still crying, reached over and took Wizardmon's hand, gasping softly when she actually grabbed it. She rubbed her head against the gloved hand, purring softly. Wizardmon smiled and gave his friend a reassuring squeeze. "I'm right here, Gatomon. And I promise I'll never leave you like that again."

"Thank you Wizardmon." Gatomon continued to sob softly. "For being such a good friend."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: there's a really good picture of Kari and Gatomon's reunion with Wizardmon on Google; search "Kari, Gatomon, Wizardmon reunion"**

**Also, I realize I haven't updated in a long time. Sorry about that. But bear with me! I'm working on two stories at once here**


	10. If I had a Tail Hammer

**Episode 24: If I had a Tail Hammer**

Ken ate quietly with his parents, staring at his food until it was finally gone. He set his bowl down, feeling quite full after such a meal.

"So tell us, how was soccer?" Mrs. Ichijōji asked her son.

"Um…..I did okay Mom." Ken said. He wouldn't tell them that he didn't do as well as he used to during practice today. He figured it was just because he was still a little exhausted from his journey in finding his heart.

"Some more rice?" Mrs. Ichijōji offered.

"It's really important that you eat well." Mr. Ichijōji said. "For your brain and body. You may not see it, but you're growing all the time, son."

Ken wanted to refuse; he already felt full enough. But he also didn't want his parents to worry about him anymore. "I'll…have another half a bowl please."

He noticed his mother's face seem to brighten. "Sure!" she immediately took his bowl and walked over to put more rice in it. "Oh Ken, tomorrow's soccer practice has been postponed." Ken nodded in understanding. He smiled softly, happy to see his parents no longer upset. But he still felt uncertain of so many things. He found his heart and Wormmon, although now the caterpillar Digimon was in his in-training form as Minomon. Ken didn't have the slightest clue about how he would approach the other DigiDestined, if he would at all. And then there was Rika, apparently the DigiDestined of Darkness. Was she going to take his place as the evil Digimon Empress? And where was Wizardmon in all this? Did Rika shove him aside like he did Wormmon?

When Ken finished his food he excused himself to go to bed, all his questions still very much unanswered. Minomon peered up from Ken's bed when he heard his partner sigh. "What's the matter? What is it, Ken?"

Ken didn't want to bring up his questions to Minomon in fear of worrying him. "Nothing really. I just ate too much at dinner."

"That doesn't sound like you." Minomon said.

"Normally I just eat one bowl." Ken reasoned. "But my folks seem concerned. So I ate a little more than I usually do."

"You ate more for your parents?" Minomon summarized.

"Who would've ever thought that?" Ken smiled at his Digimon. "Boy were they happy. I might have to start eating like this every day."

"Uh oh. In that case there's only one thing to do." Minomon suddenly began bouncing on Ken's bed, laughing excitedly. "Jumping jacks! Whoo-hoo! Come on, Ken! Feel the burn! Crunch those abs!"

Ken stared at his Digimon for a moment before laughing along with him. "All right, all right! You're buff enough! Let's get some sleep!"

Minomon finally stopped bouncing but didn't fully calm down until Ken could pull on his pajamas and crawl into bed with him. Ken laid down and Minomon snuggled up next to him, sighing contently. The boy and his Digimon each smiled as they drifted off to sleep.

However, Ken, didn't sleep long when he heard a voice, very soft but sounding urgent.

"_Ken! Ken, wake up! You have to wake up Ken you're in danger! Wake up!"_

Ken moaned a little as he opened his eyes. _Wizardmon? _He heard some sort of beeping sound from his computer and sat up to stare at it. He noticed a figure standing at his computer, but his vision was so blurry he could only make out an hourglass figure and long hair. "Rika? Is that you?"

"Are you _really _that stupid?" the figure demanded, not sounding at all like Rika.

Ken's eyes finally adjusted and he gasped, waking Minomon. "What is it, Ken?"

"Hey who are you?" Ken snapped. Minomon followed his look and noticed the strange woman.

"Emperor, are you having trouble sleeping?" the woman asked. "That's because you're through."

"What?" Ken breathed. "Who…..who are you?"

"You are just so useless." The woman sighed, raising her head a little to show a pale face, lipstick covered lips, and dark purple sunglasses.

"What're you talking about?" Ken demanded. "And what do you think you know about me?"

"You had so much potential." The woman seemed to be pitying the boy.

Suddenly, the room was bathed in the light of the computer and shadows of words covered his room. A voice came from the computer, as though reading a letter. In fact, the voice read the words on the walls of Ken's room.

"_Ken you had a chance for true greatness. To rule in infamy forever. And you wasted it. How unfortunate."_

The light of the computer suddenly shut off, and when Ken's eyes adjusted again he discovered the woman gone. "I-is she gone?" Minomon trembled a little. Ken didn't answer for a moment. Who was this strange woman? Why did she come to him? More importantly, how did she know who he was?

"I hope so." Ken breathed.

* * *

><p>Gatomon's breathing stayed even as she slept, but she could feel herself waking up. As comfortable as she felt right now, she knew they had a long day of work ahead of them. <em>Well, I suppose I should get up. <em>She stretched, yawning deeply.

"Good morning."

Gatomon's eyes shot open and she yowled in surprise at the sight of Rika's smiling face. Rika yelped too, leading to the two of them jumping and then crashing to the floor. Seconds later, Kari threw open the closet door.

"What happened?" Kari asked.

Gatomon blinked, trying to remember. She talked with Wizardmon last night and then they went to sleep with her curled up on his chest. Then she woke up and now he's… "Gatomon."

The three of them turned to see a ghostly Wizardmon standing beside Kari. Gatomon stared, feeling her heart beginning to break. "Gatomon, it's okay." Wizardmon soothed. "I told you, I can only take a solid physical form at night."

Gatomon looked down. "Right. I'll remember that."

Wizardmon nodded and disappeared, back into Rika. Sensing Gatomon's distress, Rika cleared her throat. "Well, the Digital World isn't going to clean itself up. Let's get going."

"Yeah." Kari agreed, helping Rika out of the closet.

"Okay." Gatomon nodded, following them. _He's still alive. I just have to remember that. Wizardmon is still alive._

* * *

><p>Once everyone gathered at Primary Village, they immediately got to work with rebuilding. Yolei, Rika, and Kari began painting some of the finished buildings.<p>

"Yolei, Rika, I'm so tired of lifting this paintbrush my whole body is shaking." Kari sighed.

"I don't think that's you." Rika laughed as ExVeemon stomped by.

"Oh, never mind." Kari laughed.

"Hey Wizardmon, why don't you float around see how everyone is doing?" Rika suggested.

Wizardmon's spirit manifested beside Rika. "I don't see why not. At least then I'll _feel _productive." He flew off, observing the other DigiDestined working. T.K. worked on some construction, nails pinched between his lips and hammering away. But he managed to pause in his work to ask Wizardmon to tell Davis he needed wood. The Majin nodded and continued on. He saw Halsemon, Nefertimon, and Pegasusmon flying some wood over to T.K. and Cody and Digmon drilling away to the pipelines under the town. Davis shouted encouraging words along with some orders while carrying a wooden beam over his shoulder.

Wizardmon floated down to the boy. "T.K. need some wood over there, Davis."

"You know you _could _help out a little." Davis said.

"I'm pretty much a ghost when the sun is up." Wizardmon protested. "I can't even pick up a hammer without it slipped through me."

"Some excuse." Davis huffed as he kept walking.

"Really! I go through anything solid." Wizardmon insisted. "Watch."

Davis was about to ask what Wizardmon meant when the Digimon suddenly appeared right through his chest, making faces at the boy. Davis shouted in terror and fell to the ground, much to the amusement of Wizardmon and pretty much everyone else. The brunette boy narrowed his eyes. "What're you laughing at?"

"You, what else?" Wizardmon laughed again before shooting off to join Rika, Yolei, and Kari.

Davis grumbled to himself as he lifted the wooden beam he dropped. "I liked him better when he was solid."

They worked all through the day and by the time the sun began to set Primary Village looked much better than it did before. The Digimon dedigivolved down to their Rookie forms, tired like their human partners.

"Well that was a good day's work." Davis commented.

"Yeah, good work everyone!" Yolei complimented.

"We painted everything in sight and some things that weren't." Kari chuckled.

"And Davis almost strained his voice from shouting orders." Yolei joked, though she seemed to hint disappointment by not having Davis's voice go out.

Kari sighed a little sadly. "You know even with fresh paint and some new roofs, Primary Village still seems kind of sad."

"You're right." Gatomon said sadly.

"It's going to take some work." Rika agreed. "But so far we're all doing very well."

"Maybe a cute carpenter will come by." Yolei said.

"If one shows up the only place he's going is to work." Cody said.

"I volunteer to be his helper!" Yolei offered.

_I'm not sure I'll ever understand human girls. _Wizardmon thought, his voice echoing in Rika's mind.

_You will someday. _Rika assured with a smile.

"Boy that jerk really left the Digital World in a big mess, didn't he?" T.K. said.

"Hey listen it's not my fault." Davis defended. "I'm doing the best I can."

"I was talking about Ken." T.K. said. "Not you, Davis."

"Oh." Davis said. "Never mind."

"No harm, no foul." T.K. sighed.

Kari stared off into the distance, thinking intently. "You gotta wonder: what is he up to now? Is he just playing with us that we think he's nice?"

"Well if he really _is _nice he'd be here just like us, cleaning this place up." Davis reasoned.

"That's for sure." Veemon agreed.

"But Ken's not coming back to the Digital World anymore, uh right?" Yolei asked.

"One wouldn't think so." Hawkmon nodded.

"Yeah I don't think the Digimon could forgive him for what he did." T.K. reasoned.

"That's for sure." Cody growled.

Armadillomon turned to his partner. "You sound mad."

"Well you're right." Cody admitted. "I can't forgive him either. Not ever!"

"I think you guys are being too hard on him." Rika said. "The poor guy didn't know any better."

"You're just saying that 'cause you dated his brother." Davis laughed, only to have Rika punch his arm.

"You know that mouth of yours is going to get you into big trouble someday." Rika droned.

"Well let's get back to the Real World." Davis suggested. "I'm starving!"

"Of course you are." Rika shook her head.

"Great idea!" Veemon agreed with Davis.

"Davis Party of One. Let's get going." Yolei said.

* * *

><p>Back in the Real World, the DigiDestined split off to go home or, in Cody's case, to a kendo lesson. Rika, Kari, and Gatomon made it back to the Kamiya residence just in time for Rika and Wizardmon to switch. Kari managed to help Rika sneak in and the raven-haired girl darted into her friend's closet just as the sun slipped away and gave way to night. Kari ate dinner with her family and then brought some food in for Gatomon and Wizardmon to eat in her room. When they finished, Gatomon requested a story before going to bed, so Kari pulled out one of her old fairytale books and turned to one of her favorites, adjusting it slightly for her feline friend.<p>

"And then Catpunzel would let down her Persian hair so he could climb up." Kari said, pointing to a picture of a lone castle tower. Gatomon and Wizardmon stared at the book over her shoulders, listening intently.

"I can't imagine having hair so long." Wizardmon said. "It must get tangled too easily."

"Says the Digimon with such beautiful golden locks." Gatomon teased.

Wizardmon rolled his eyes. "I believe the story is called 'Catpunzel', my feline friend. As a matter of fact….." He suddenly picked up Gatomon and tossed her on top of Kari's bunk bed.

Gatomon yelped as she landed on the comforter, looking over the edge of the bed to frown at Wizardmon. "Hey!"

"Oh Catpunzel, so young and frail, let down thy purple-ringed tail!" Wizardmon teased, making Kari laugh.

Gatomon smirked. _I'll show you who's frail. _"Okay here it comes!" She suddenly threw one of Kari's pillows at Wizardmon, knocking him to the ground.

"Hey!" Wizardmon snapped, frowning at the cat. "Just wait until I get up there!"

"You'll never catch me!" Gatomon boasted. "By the time you get up here I'll be on the ground and there's nothing you—" She paused when she suddenly found Wizardmon right in front of her, floating off the ground. "Hmm….forgot you could fly." She took Kari's other pillow and swung it around, hitting Wizardmon in the head and knocking his hat off.

"Oh now you're gonna get it!" Wizardmon darted after Gatomon as she ran, raising his pillow with the express intent of continuing their fight. "Don't think that just because you're a girl I'm going to go easy on you!"

"Would both of you stop it?" Kari tried to sound serious but she couldn't stop laughing. Suddenly, Gatomon leaped off the wall and tackled Wizardmon, knocking him out of the air and on top of Kari. The three of them laughed again until Kari's mom knocked on the door.

"Kari sweetheart, what are you doing in there?" Mrs. Kamiya asked.

"Nothing Mom!" Kari called, slapping her hands over Gatomon's and Wizardmon's mouths. "Just watching a funny movie!"

"Well then put some headphones in!" Mrs. Kamiya requested. "We have neighbors and it's late."

"Okay!" Kari called, not removing her hands until her mom's footsteps faded away. "You heard her guys; we should probably get to bed anyway."

"Fine." Gatomon nodded. "But we'll pick up again soon and then I'll show you how it's done."

"I grew up with five other Digimon that were like my own siblings." Wizardmon countered. "Clearly you underestimate me."

Kari rolled her eyes and herded the two of them to their respective beds. "Okay that's enough trash talk. Both of you to bed now." The two Digimon obeyed, settling down in their beds for a good night's sleep.

"Goodnight Gatomon. Goodnight Wizardmon. Goodnight Rika."

"Goodnight Kari. Goodnight Wizardmon. Goodnight Rika."

"Goodnight Kari. Goodnight Gatomon. Goodnight Rika."

Rika's spirit appeared briefly, smiling at her friends. "Goodnight everyone. Sleep well."

* * *

><p>Going back to Primary Village, the DigiDestined discovered what looked like a tribe of baby Digimon to greet them, looking very happy to see the kids and their Digimon partners.<p>

"We have new friends." Davis blinked in surprise.

"They're called Punimon." Rika said.

"Let's play!" the babies called simultaneously. "Let's play!"

"Well they sure weren't here yesterday." Cody said.

"Maybe it's because yesterday we rebuilt the nursery school." Armadillomon said.

"No way!" Davis gasped. "That was a nursery school?"

"Yeah." Cody said, a little befuddled by Davis's outburst.

"So logic dictates they were all students there." Hawkmon said, gesturing to the Punimon.

"I gotcha." Yolei said. "So we restore things to the way they were and then all of the Digimon will return as well." The Punimon jumped and cheered as though to confirm it.

"Right." T.K. nodded. "So let's keep working."

Davis winced at the babies' cheers. "They're a major pain."

Kari knelt down to cuddle with one of the Punimon, smiling. "Aw, they're cute."

"Really cute." Rika giggled as she knelt down. Several of the Punimon tried to jump up on her.

Davis suddenly smiled. "Oh…they're so sweet!"

Veemon crossed his arms. "That's not what you said a second ago!"

Davis frowned a little, but pulled out his Digivice to prepare Veemon for Digivolution. "Veemon, let's give this our best shot today! You know what to do!" He activated his Digivice, and Veemon prepared to get bigger.

"_Veemon digivolve to….."_

But Veemon was still the same Rookie-level Digimon, hardly changed at all. "Uh oh."

"And what was that all about?" Davis demanded. "You gotta try harder! Digivolve!" But even on the second try Veemon couldn't do it.

"I guess my bio-rhythm's off today." Veemon said sheepishly.

"This doesn't make sense." Davis frowned. "You ate a ton and you digivolved fine yesterday."

Veemon growled in frustration. _"Why can't I digivolve? Tell me whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" _Everyone watched him freak out for a moment before the blue dragon Digimon finally stopped screaming. "I'm done."

"Maybe you're just tired." Davis suggested. "Maybe it's some kind of Digi-jet lag."

"Is there any chance you ate some bad chocolate?" Hawkmon asked.

"Nope." Veemon shook his head.

"Maybe chicken soup might help." Armadillomon offered.

"But his stomach's full. He ate four TV dinners for lunch." Davis protested.

"Maybe he overate." Yolei said.

"It's certainly possible." Rika agreed. "A Digimon with imperfect health can't digivolve very easily."

"I got it!" Davis announced. "He hasn't fought so long that he's rusty. It's like he's totally out of shape when it comes to digivolving. That must be it! Glad I thought of it!" He knelt down and hugged Veemon. "You just need to relax. And do something to take your mind off of this."

The other children and their Digimon exchanged knowing glances, coming to a silent, mutual agreement they knew Davis probably wouldn't approve. But they nodded and Yolei stood up. "We have decided that both of you need a break from all this hard work. So guess what? They're going back to work while the four of us rest."

"Great." Cody agreed.

"Well, I didn't want to say anything." Davis said. "But I could use a little nap myself."

"We're gonna go outside of town. We have to check something out." T.K. told them as he and Kari walked off with their Digimon.

"We'll be back in about an hour." Kari added. "Come on, Rika. You come too."

"Okay." Rika nodded, jogging after them.

"Hey, I could use a little walk." Davis protested.

He hardly finished his sentence when Yolei came to him. "Hey, I got a great idea! I know something we can do that's really relaxing!"

"Yolei….." Davis whined.

* * *

><p>Out in the forest, Kari, T.K., Patamon, Gatomon, and Rika tested Kari and T.K.'s theory. Gatomon already tried to digivolve to Angewomon, but even with numerous tries she still remained a cat.<p>

"No go for Gato." Gatomon's ears drooped in sadness.

"I'm sure we'll be able to figure it out." Wizardmon assured, wishing he didn't pass through everything so he could properly comfort his friend.

"All right, Patamon, you try it." T.K. said. "Go ahead, give it your all!"

"Right." Patamon nodded, concentrating hard. T.K. activated the Digivolution with his D3.

"_Patamon digivolve to….Patamon….."_

Patamon whined a little, matching Gatomon's glum look. "I need a break."

"We're not amateurs like Veemon." Gatomon huffed. "What's going on?"

"It's pretty strange." Kari agreed.

"What about you, Wizardmon?" Rika asked. "I know you can't digivolve now, but do you feel weird at all?"

"I do feel a strong, dark energy." Wizardmon said. "It feels like it's restricting my strength and power."

T.K. shook his head and then turned to look at the Control Spire in the distance. "I thought the Control Spires were knocked out of commission when Ken left. But this just makes me think they might be active again."

"Looks pretty active to me." Rika noted. "Should we check it out?"

"No." Kari said. "Our main focus is Primary Village."

Rika gasped softly, feeling Wizardmon's aura tense up. "Wizardmon, you okay?"

Everyone looked to the humanoid Digimon, who had his fists clenched and looked in pain. "I'm fine. I just feel something."

"Feel something like what?" Kari asked.

"Like the evil aura that radiates off evil Digimon." Wizardmon said.

"You can feel that?" Patamon asked.

"Just like how I have the ability to read minds, I can also sense auras and energies." Wizardmon explained. "All living creatures radiate with auras that can change and fluctuate based on emotions or strength of the creature. Some Digimon like myself are able to feel these auras. It's useful when reading minds or if you feel like you're being watched."

"When Wizardmon and I became fused as we are, I gained this same ability." Rika said. "I can sense Wizardmon's emotions based on his aura because it radiates within me."

"So what does it mean if you feel such a strong, evil energy?" Patamon asked.

"I'm guessing it's not good." T.K. said.

"You're right, T.K." Wizardmon nodded. "You once said that the reason you're all allowed to return to the DigiWorld is because you're still needed for something. If I'm right about this evil aura I'm feeling, then perhaps the reason the DigiDestined are still needed is because the danger has not left this world."

"So a new enemy might be coming." Rika guessed.

"Or worse." Kari corrected. "Maybe it's already here."

That last comment made them a little more nervous, but they managed to push it aside and decided to return to the others. When they returned to Primary Village they discovered Davis and Veemon doing a surprisingly good job entertaining the baby Punimon with a soccer-like game. Yolei and Halsemon watched off to one side, smiling.

"We're back, Yolei." Kari greeted.

"Looks like they're having fun." T.K. chuckled towards Davis, Veemon, and the baby Digimon.

"I told Davis to watch the little ones, though I'm not sure who's watching who." Yolei joked.

"What a great idea." Kari complimented. "This way Davis gets a chance to boss around someone else besides just us."

"Very resourceful, Yolei." Rika nodded.

"So give me the 4-1-1." Yolei requested. "Were you able to digivolve?"

"Nope." T.K. said. "I think the Control Spires are what's keeping them from digivolving. So we gotta find a way to prove my theory. Where's Cody anyway?"

"Still working in the water pipes below the village." Yolei said, gesturing down to the ground.

"Wizardmon and I will go see if he needs help." Rika said, jogging off with Wizardmon's spirit floating beside her.

Below the village, Cody and Digmon worked for the past hour but it seemed they only left a dent in the cleanup process.

"Boy the Emperor sure left a mess here." Digmon groaned. "Everything's been buried. Well, we got a lot to do. I guess we better get started Cody." No response came from the boy on his back. "Cody?"

Cody gasped softly, abruptly brought back from his thoughts. "Uh, yeah let's get to work Digmon."

"Hey Cody! Digmon!"

Digmon and Cody turned to the one calling them. "Oh hey Rika. Hi Wizardmon."

"We came to help out!" Rika announced.

Suddenly, Wizardmon tensed up with a gasp. _That energy. It's back! _"Cody! Get down!"

"What?" Cody suddenly gasped in pain when something shot past his face, leaving a shallow cut in his cheek.

"Cody!" Rika gasped, quickening her pace to reach the boy. The four of them turned to the creature that suddenly appeared: a metal ball with arms and legs, a pair of eyes, a mouth in a permanent scowl, and a lightning bolt shape on his head.

"It's Thundermon!" Digmon realized. "He's a highly charged Digimon who's electrifying! But what's shocking about this pint-sized powerhouse is that he packs a ten million volt wallop!"

"Well why the heck is he attacking us?" Rika demanded. "And what the heck is he doing down here?" Suddenly, Thundermon began to almost ricochet around the tunnel, swiping at Cody, Digmon, and Rika. Wizardmon lucked out, being intangible, but wished he could do something to stop Thundermon from attacking.

"I don't understand; why is he attacking us?" Cody asked. "He's not being directed by a Control Spire or wearing a Dark Ring!"

"This really isn't making much sense!" Rika said. "Thundermon are known to live in caves but they're not territorial!"

"I just don't get it." Digmon agreed. "What should we do?"

_I'm not sure if we should fight. _Cody wouldn't say it out loud, but quickly realized they were running out of options. Thundermon launched one of his electric attacks, blowing out the top of the tunnel and letting the light from outside shine in. Digmon suddenly dedigivolved to Armadillomon and he and Cody hit the ground. The shockwave forced Rika to the ground as well, and she scurried this way and that to avoid the falling rocks and debris. Cody pushed himself upright, glaring at the ground. _This is ridiculous. He's attacking us for no reason. I've had enough. _"Hey! We haven't done anything! Stop it!"

More rocks came cascading down, and Thundermon moved in for another attack. Rika saw an exceptionally large rock fall straight towards the smaller boy. "Cody! Watch out!" She lunged forward and put herself between the rock and her friends. Cody suddenly hugged the girl, squeezing his eyes shut. _We're in big trouble!_

_Cody! Rika! I won't let you get hurt! _Armadillomon suddenly felt a new power coursing through him, his desire to protect Cody almost overwhelming. Cody's D3 began glowing brightly, and soon that glow enveloped Armadillomon.

"_Armadillomon digivolve to…..Ankylomon!"_

When the light died down, Thundermon tried to drill into the arm of what looked like a really big, adult form of Armadillomon. "That's enough!" Ankylomon shouted, throwing Thundermon aside.

Cody and Rika, sitting in one of the large Digimon's paws, stared in shock. "You…..digivolved!" Cody gasped.

"What happened? Why did I digivolve, Cody?" Ankylomon wondered aloud.

"I don't know." Cody admitted. "Now I'm really confused. Veemon can't digivolve but you're at the Champion Level."

"Anyway I think we'd better go above ground now." Ankylomon suggested.

"I agree." Wizardmon nodded.

"Right." Cody and Rika agreed. Ankylomon lumbered up and out of the hole to the surface, gently setting down the two human children.

"Now you'd better take cover." Ankylomon suggested.

"Wait!" Cody cried. "Ankylomon, don't tell me you're gonna fight!"

"Nah, I'm just gonna drive him away." Ankylomon turned to where Thundermon landed, but didn't see the electric Digimon there. Suddenly, Thundermon burst from the ground, carrying a large load of rocks and Cody with him! "Cody!" Ankylomon shouted.

Cody shouted in terror, not going quiet until he felt an arm wrap around him and stop his speedy travel. He looked up and discovered some sort of giant insect-like Digimon, who looked menacing but seemed nice enough if he saved the boy. The large green Digimon turned as Thundermon came roaring in, but the green Digimon swooped down to Ankylomon.

"Here!" the Digimon dropped Cody into Ankylomon's paw and darted away as Thundermon chased him.

"Are you okay, Cody?" Rika called.

"I'm fine!" Cody called back. "The one that caught me, who is he?"

"Never seen him before." Ankylomon said. Cody turned as the other DigiDestined approached, having heard the commotion and came to see if their friends were okay. "We're both fine!" Ankylomon affirmed.

"That's good news." Yolei said. "But….uh…."

"So Cody, is that Digmon?" Halsemon voiced everyone's thoughts.

"Yes. Armadillomon at the Champion Level." Cody confirmed.

"He digivolved?" Kari breathed.

"Unbelievable!" Davis sighed in awe. Everyone turned their attention to the green Digimon fighting the Thundermon above their heads, watching as the latter zipped around like a fly.

"Who's the Digimon up there?" Patamon asked.

"Nobody knows." Ankylomon said.

"That big green one helped us out." Cody said. "In fact he really saved my life."

T.K. looked to Wizardmon. "Well Wizardmon, you're the aura reader. What can you tell us?"

Wizardmon closed his eyes in concentration. "That Thundermon is radiating with the same evil energy I felt out in the forest. But I sense something else…something strange about it. It's hard to identify."

"And the big green one?" Rika asked.

"He has a more positive aura." Wizardmon assured. "He's a good guy."

Then, a sort of blade made from a purple-pink laser appeared on the green Digimon's wrist. _"Spiking Strike!"_ He shot forward, nailing the Thundermon and forcing it to dissolve into nothing.

Davis gasped. "What did he just do to Thundermon?"

"He was…vaporized." Yolei gasped.

The green Digimon floated down several feet, staring at the DigiDestined. Everyone waited tensely, wondering what he would do next. Wizardmon stared at the Digimon in a contemplating gaze. _Rika, did you feel what I felt with that Thundermon?_

_It didn't feel right. _Rika's thought, communicating only with her Digimon. _Almost…..fake._

_Like it wasn't a real Digimon. _Wizardmon confirmed.

"Look up there!" Kari pointed to the roof of a nearby house, and everyone followed her point to see…

"Ken?" Davis gasped. "It just can't be."

"What is he doing in the DigiWorld?" Kari demanded. They all jumped when the green Digimon shot past them, stopping behind Ken and dedigivolving to a smaller green Digimon that floated into his partner's arms.

"Wormmon?" Davis gasped again.

"Ken's back?" T.K. blinked in surprise. "And Wormmon can digivolve?"

Rika and Wizardmon locked eyes with Ken, who stared back at them with an almost emotionless gaze. But Rika could sense that he felt very doubtful towards his old friend. Rika, too, didn't know how much she trusted Ken. Wizardmon felt a little caught in the middle, sensing the conflicting auras of the raven-haired children. Then, without a word, Ken leaped off the roof of the building and disappeared.

"So Wormmon saved Cody, didn't he?" Davis guessed.

"I guess that's right." Yolei said uncertainly.

_This really just doesn't add up. _Cody thought, almost glaring in the direction Ken disappeared to.

* * *

><p>When they finished working, the Punimon begged Davis and Veemon for one more game before they left, so they resumed their play while the other DigiDestined watched from the swing set. The swarm of baby Digimon laughed and cheered and tossed the ball around, with Veemon and Davis right in the middle of it all.<p>

"You're so popular!" T.K. called almost teasingly.

Davis smirked. "Jealous?" He hardly waited for an answer before running off to join the game again.

"Back to your troops, General!" Yolei teased.

Cody stood from his spot. "You won't believe this. You know that Control Spire that was up on the ridge? Guess what? It's vanished."

Everyone looked to see Cody was right; the Control Spire was nowhere in sight. "Oh no, Cody's right." Yolei said. "It's really gone."

"How? When?" T.K. wondered.

"Maybe that's why Armadillomon was able to Digivolve." Cody guessed.

"Yeah." Armadillomon agreed. "That's it."

"Coupled with his desire to protect you I'm sure." Rika added.

Kari looked to Wizardmon's spirit, currently staring off in the distance towards where the Control Spire used to stand. "You okay, Wizardmon?"

"Just thinking." Wizardmon said dismissively. Kari didn't push it, a little scared by the serious, intense look in Wizardmon's eyes. The DigiDestined didn't return home until nightfall. Kari showered and changed into her pajamas before returning to her room and discovering Spirit Rika and Gatomon talking on Kari's bed and Wizardmon sitting in the corner. The Majin's eyes were closed and his legs crossed. He pressed his forefingers and thumbs together in an almost diamond shape inches from his chest, the rest of his fingers curled in towards his palms.

Kari tiptoed over to Rika and Gatomon. "What's Wizardmon doing?"

"Some sort of meditation thing." Rika whispered. "He's been really quiet since the incident with Thundermon."

Kari looked to Wizardmon. She hated to interrupt his concentration, but she couldn't ignore it if something was bothering Wizardmon, someone she knew to be stubborn when a problem arose. The brunette knelt down in front of her wizard friend. "Wizardmon?"

Wizardmon opened his eyes and dropped his hands. "Yes?"

"Is there something about Thundermon that worries you?" Kari asked.

Wizardmon looked down. "It doesn't worry me as much as it just bothers me. It's one of those things that I just don't understand and I don't like it."

"What is it about this thing that bugs you so much?" Rika asked.

Wizardmon looked at each of the girls in turn. "Do you have paper and something to write with? I can explain it better then."

Kari retrieved a notebook and a pencil for Wizardmon. Then the two girls and their Digimon partners gathered in a circle on Kari's bed and paid close attention to Wizardmon as he started drawing on the notepad.

"This is how I was taught when I was learning about auras." Wizardmon drew a strange symbol in the shape of a flame. "In every living creature is their life force, called their Life Flame. The Life Flame is sort of like a soul; it keeps the creature alive and is snuffed out by death, either from natural causes or even when a creature's life is taken." Next, he drew a picture of Gatomon around the Life Flame so that it rested in the picture cat's stomach. "Around the Life Flame is the physical body that acts as a host for the flame to thrive in." He drew lines extending from the Gatomon picture. "Radiating from the physical body and powered by the Life Flame is the aura. The aura, as I said before, can be strong or weak depending on so many factors: emotions, physical health or strength, mental stability, and more. The Life Flame and the aura are directly connected, but it is possible for the Life Flame to be without a host. It is not possible for a physical body to have an aura without a Life Flame or a Life Flame without an aura."

Kari, Rika, and Gatomon nodded in understanding. Wizardmon turned to a new page and drew a picture of Thundermon with an aura, but no Life Flame. "When I sense auras, I can sense the strength of the Life Flame within a person or Digimon." He continued. "But when I sensed Thundermon's aura, his Life Flame didn't feel right. I couldn't tell if it wasn't there or if it was something more. It was almost….like a fake Flame. Meaning he wasn't alive but he also wasn't dead."

"So he was like a zombie or a ghost?" Rika asked.

"Ghosts are nothing more than Life Flames emitting auras without a physical body to host them." Wizardmon corrected. "Thundermon had a physical body and an aura, but his Life Flame was like nothing I ever felt before. In fact, I couldn't feel it at all; it wasn't there."

They sat there for a moment, staring at the picture Wizardmon drew. None of them had an answer for this revelation. In fact, it seemed to just raise even more questions than they started out with since returning home.


	11. Spirit Needle

**Episode 25: Spirit Needle**

Rika hummed to herself as she leaned against the gates to the school, constantly looking back towards the doors to see if anyone came out yet. "Ugh. I forgot how long school lasts. How much longer are they going to be?"

_Patience is a virtue. _Wizardmon's voice echoed in her skull.

"Yeah well I've been patient for a couple hours now." Rika countered.

_I told you to go entertain yourself. There is a bookstore around the corner. _Wizardmon pointed out.

"I'm starting to think we should spend more time in the Digital World when everyone else is at school." Rika said.

_Or you could start going back to school again. _Wizardmon suggested.

Rika stuck her tongue out. "Not a chance." She turned at the sound of a bell and smiled when she saw Rika and Yolei jogging towards her. "Hey guys! Where are the boys?"

"Aren't I a boy?" Poromon asked from Yolei's arms.

"She just means Davis, T.K., Cody, and their Digimon." Yolei said as they started walking.

"They're doing boy things I'm sure." Kari shrugged.

"Davis is probably thinking of a way to bring Ken back." Yolei huffed.

"Really?" Rika asked excitedly. "Is he having any luck?"

"Oh not you too!" Yolei groaned.

"What's so bad about bringing Ken back?" Rika demanded. "He's DigiDestined like us."

"He was also the evil Digimon Emperor just days ago." Yolei snapped. "People don't change that easily."

"They can if you give them the chance." Rika growled.

"Both of you stop it." Kari ordered. "I think we need a break from Digiworld stuff for a while. Why don't we go to the mall nearby?"

"I guess some browsing wouldn't hurt." Rika nodded.

"I think we need to get you a new outfit." Kari suggested. "You can't go walking about in your pajamas anymore."

"But I'm broke." Rika said.

"It'll be our treat." Yolei assured, she and Kari steering Rika towards the mall. "Even if you just get jeans and a T-shirt, it'll be better than those night clothes."

Rika wanted to protest, but Kari and Yolei seemed determined because they wouldn't stop coaxing/pushing her until they reached the mall. The raven-haired girl let them lead her to a nearby clothing store, but made them promise that she would get to choose her own clothes so they didn't toss her into "a bunch of pink junk." Once that was made clear Yolei finally put down the frilly pink skirt she picked up.

"All right, let's get to work." Kari said, and they moved through the clothing racks. They shifted through numerous different articles of clothing and each got an armful before going back to the dressing rooms.

"Are you really going to force me into this?" Rika whined a little.

"Just do it." Gatomon laughed, pushing Rika's legs and forcing her into the dressing room. Rika sighed, but as she closed the door she allowed a smile to appear on her face.

It took about an hour of trying on and re-trying on clothes, coupled with funny stories and some laughing at the goofy things Rika put on. Finally, Rika emerged with the perfect outfit for her: black cargo capris, a camouflage pattern T-shirt, black sneakers, and a black-and-white bead bracelet on her right wrist. With some coaxing from her friends she traded her Wizardmon hat for a red bandana. She kept her hair back in its loose ponytail.

"Okay, I'll admit it." Rika sighed, glancing down to her new clothes in the bags at her feet. "This was pretty fun. I can't remember the last time I was at the mall. Thanks guys."

"It was our pleasure." Yolei said, leaning back in her seat on the train.

"We should definitely hang out more often." Kari said.

"I agree." Gatomon said. "It's fun."

"I just wish Wizardmon could come out more often." Poromon sighed. "Then at least I wouldn't be completely surrounded by girls. No offense."

"None taken." Rika assured. "You realize Wizardmon's actually right next to you?"

Poromon looked over and jumped when he saw Wizardmon's ghostly form on the seat next to him. The girls were happy for the empty train car so they could laugh out loud. "Sorry Poromon." Wizardmon chuckled. "Even when I come out as a spirit I can go invisible."

"Nice one Wizardmon." Gatomon laughed.

Poromon whined. "You guys…."

Rika felt Wizardmon's mood suddenly change and looked over to see the Majin staring out the window. "What's up, Wizardmon?"

Kari, Rika, Poromon, and Gatomon looked over at the wizard, who didn't answer for a while. "Ken's out there."

"Like right outside?" Kari asked, everyone turning to the window.

"He's a little far out, but I can sense his aura." Wizardmon replied. "Davis and DemiVeemon are with them."

Yolei rolled her eyes. "Of course they are. Can we change the subject before I go on a rant and ruin our evening?"

"We should be getting off soon." Kari assured. "We have to get home before Rika and Wizardmon switch."

They turned from the window to talk about what they would be doing in the Digital World tomorrow. But Wizardmon kept his gaze outside, in the direction of Ken's aura. _Rika, we need to go to the DigiWorld tonight._

_Sounds like a plan. _Rika agreed.

* * *

><p>"Kari, Rika and I are going to the DigiWorld to check on something." Wizardmon announced. "We'll meet up with you tomorrow."<p>

"Are you sure?" Kari asked. "You want us to come with you?"

"No, it's all right." Wizardmon assured. "Besides, you have school tomorrow and Rika doesn't. We'll meet you in DigiWorld."

"Okay." Kari nodded a little nervously, opening up the Digi-port on her computer. "Be safe."

"We will." Spirit Rika nodded before disappearing back into Wizardmon.

"See you tomorrow Wizardmon!" Gatomon waved.

Wizardmon pulled out the Digivice and pointed it to the gate. "Well, we're off. Digi-port open!"

In a flash, Wizardmon disappeared into the computer and touched down in a forest in the Digital World. "Whoa hey Wizardmon!" Rika's spirit form appeared beside the Majin. "Check it out!"

Wizardmon blinked in surprise at the girl. "When did you change your clothes?"

"I didn't." Rika said, turning around a bit to look at her new outfit. Instead of her cargo capris and shirt she wore a black dress with a high collar and a short skirt with a white skirt underneath the black one. A strange skull designed brooch clipped into her collar. Her sleeves weren't attached to the dress but rather hugged her biceps, so long that the end of the fabric reached her knees and opened up halfway down to let her hands through. She also wore a pair of black leggings and short black boots. Even her Wizardmon hat rested on her head again, only the skull decoration was gone. Her black-and-white bead bracelet and sword seemed the only things that didn't disappear or become replaced.

"Well that's strange." Wizardmon said.

"Yolei said this happens to her and the other DigiDestined when they enter the Digital World; their outfits change." Rika stared at her outfit. "But this is the first time it's ever happened to me."

Wizardmon pondered it, but couldn't reach a conclusion. "Well, at least it looks nice."

Rika smiled. "Aw, thanks. But we can admire my outfit later; let's find Ken."

Wizardmon nodded in agreement and took off to the skies, searching for the raven-haired boy and his insect Digimon.

Meanwhile, said DigiDestined partners fought against a Snimon in a small canyon. Stingmon easily dodged the praying mantis Digimon's attacks and quickly flew in for the final blows. With lightning-fast moves he kicked Snimon repeatedly until he dissolved.

"Gone to pieces." Stingmon said.

"You showed him Stingmon!" Ken cheered.

Stingmon groaned in tiredness. "Can we not do that anymore today, Ken?"

"Unfortunately I don't think that was the last of the monsters we'll face." Ken said. "Look at all these Control Spires. I'm sorry I ever made them. Something's going on and it doesn't look good." He stared at the ground. _Maybe I _should _join the other DigiDestined. I don't think we can do this alone._

"A little help never hurts."

Ken and Stingmon spun around at the new voice and Ken's eyes widened. "W-Wizardmon?"

Wizardmon smiled under his cowl. "Hello Ken."

"Ken, you know this guy?" Stingmon asked as he dedigivolved to Wormmon. Ken didn't answer; he ran forward and suddenly hugged Wizardmon, overjoyed to see the Majin. Wizardmon returned the embrace, chuckling a little.

"It's really you." Ken breathed.

"It's so good to see you, Ken." Wizardmon said, pulling away and taking a step back. "Just look at how you've grown! You're not that same little boy I met so long ago."

Ken lowered his eyes in embarrassment. "But you're still the same. Minus the wardrobe change of course." They laughed, and Ken noticed Wormmon hiding behind his legs. "Wormmon, this is Wizardmon. He's an old friend of mine."

"Hello." Wizardmon tipped his hat to the caterpillar Digimon.

Wormmon, realizing this new Digimon a friend, came out and nodded in greeting. "It's nice to meet you, Wizardmon. How do you know Ken?"

"He's friends with my human partner, Rika Yamada." Wizardmon said.

Ken's smile disappeared. "Where _is _Rika? Did she abandon you?"

"No, of course not." Wizardmon said. "She's right here." Then, Rika's ghostly form materialized beside Wizardmon.

"Hey Ken!" Rika greeted with a warm smile.

Ken and Wormmon stared in shock. "Rika?" Ken gasped. "What…..how…did you…?"

"It's a bit of a long story." Rika admitted. "But we'd like to tell it to you if you have a free moment."

Ken and Wormmon exchanged glances, but agreed to listen after making a quick fire. The four of them sat down, then Rika and Wizardmon told Ken and Wormmon the same thing they told the other DigiDestined.

"Fusing a Digimon with a human?" Wormmon breathed. "Just fusing two Digimon together sounds like an extremely difficult task!"

"But it's nice to know you have such a loyal partner, Rika." Ken said. "Do you really have a Digivice and Crest?"

"Yep." Rika nodded. Wizardmon pulled out the Digivice from his pocket and the tag and Crest from under his collar. "See? It's a bit of an older version of the Digivice, but it works great. Wizardmon can Digivolve and Armor Digivolve with ease."

Ken stared at the Crest for a moment. "Rika, you know your Crest is the Crest of Darkness, right?"

"Yes I know." Rika nodded. "So what?"

Ken could see her discomfort, but he pressed on. "Rika, supposedly our Crests choose us based on our strongest personality points."

"I know." Rika said. "Wizardmon explained it to me."

"We don't know what the Crest choosing Rika means." Wizardmon said.

"All we know is I am a DigiDestined and I'm supposed to help you guys." Rika assured. "Maybe I do have darkness in me and I react positively to dark forces like that Dark Pool, but it doesn't matter." Everyone could tell Rika tried to convince herself more than them, and she was failing.

"Why did you come to me, Rika?" Ken asked.

"Because Wizardmon and I think you should join the DigiDestined too." Rika said. "Not only that, it's just nice to talk to you again. You and Sam were my best friends and I missed you terribly."

Ken smiled softly. "You and Wizardmon are my friends too." His eyes widened in realization. "Oh your necklace! The Yin-Yang pendant you lost while we were playing soccer, I still have it at my house!"

"Don't worry about it." Rika assured. "Get it to me when you can."

Ken nodded hurriedly. "I promise. I was going to return it that night I met Wizardmon but—"

"I know." Rika said. "I was pretty much right there."

Wormmon stared at Rika for a while. "So you say you like the powers of darkness?"

"I don't know how to explain it." Rika shrugged. "I guess it's my Crest."

"Can't you just give it up?" Wormmon asked.

"The Crest chose her, not the other way around." Wizardmon explained.

Rika noticed Ken and Wormmon's worried looks. "I am still your friend, Ken. You must always remember that."

Ken stared at Rika for a moment before standing. "Thank you, Rika and Wizardmon. But I have a lot of things I need to sort out before I make any decisions." He turned and walked off, Wormmon at his feet.

Wizardmon sighed. "Well, at least he knows we're both alive and on his side."

"Yeah." Rika sighed too. She glanced down at the Crest of Darkness as Wizardmon tucked it away under the collar of his jumper. "Wizardmon? Why did you choose me to be the Child of Darkness?"

"I didn't choose you." Wizardmon corrected. "The Crest chose you."

"That doesn't answer why though." Rika said. "What is it about me that screams 'darkness'? What does it mean to be a DigiDestined of Darkness?" She looked up towards the moon and stars. "Am I supposed to be evil?"

Wizardmon turned to Rika. "You are _not _evil."

"How can I be sure?" Rika asked. "Look at me; I'm a regular witch."

"Rika, you're far from evil." Wizardmon assured. "I know you."

Rika sighed. "I think I'm going to sleep. You should too. Goodnight, Onīsan." She vanished, back into her partner.

Wizardmon sighed. "Sweet dreams, imōto-chan."

* * *

><p>Mimi laughed to herself as the YukimiBotamon called excitedly for more marshmallows, bouncing a little around the small fire. "Hold on! Hold on! Palmon is bringing back more marshmallows right now!"<p>

"This is great!" one of the white baby Digimon said. "Thank you!"

"You YukimiBotamon are cute baby Digimon and have such white fur. You're Bubble Blow attack is almost as big as your appetites!" Mimi cooed. "I'm glad you like these! Next time we'll make s'mores, how about that?" She looked over to the direction Palmon disappeared to. "I wonder where Palmon went to. If she doesn't hurry back with those marshmallows we're going to have to start roasting some tree bark."

Turns out, Palmon stopped by a small field of flowers, gathering some in her vine-like fingers. "How pretty! I bet Mimi would love this flower. I should find more and make her a bouquet." She started picking some more, humming to herself, when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Standing up straight, she gasped softly at the sight. "Wizardmon?"

The Digimon standing several yards away seemed to perk up at the sound of his name, and he turned to the green Digimon. "Who are you?"

"I'm Palmon, the Rookie form of Lillymon." Palmon said. "You saved my life when Myotismon attacked me!"

"Ah yes, I remember." Wizardmon nodded. "How are you?"

"Very good, thank you." Palmon nodded. "Mimi told me you visited everyone as a ghost in Odaiba. What're you doing here?"

"It's a bit of a long story." Wizardmon rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well Mimi would probably love to see you." Palmon gestured back towards the way she came. "Why don't you tag along?"

Wizardmon thought for a moment. _Well, Rika should still be sleeping or meditating. I guess a little bit longer wouldn't hurt. _"Very well. Let's go."

Palmon smiled as she led the way, Wizardmon's ghostly form drifting beside her. "So where have you been all this time?"

"Oh nowhere special." Wizardmon shrugged. "Just—" He suddenly seized up, gasping softly.

Palmon stopped walking, staring at the Majin worriedly. "What is it?"

"I…sense something….." Wizardmon said. "Something evil."

Palmon opened her mouth to ask what he meant when she saw something else. She looked past him and suddenly ducked behind a tree. Wizardmon joined her as they stared at a figure some ways away from them, standing in front of a Control Spire.

"A human?" Palmon whispered. "But what's she doing here? I thought only children could come to the Digital World. She doesn't look like a child to me."

"She wouldn't look like a child to _anyone_." Wizardmon corrected.

"What's she doing with that Control Spire?" Palmon whispered.

"I don't know but we're about to find out." Wizardmon declared. "I'm going to get a closer look."

"Are you crazy?" Palmon exclaimed.

"If she turns out to be dangerous she can't attack me." Wizardmon reasoned. "But I need you to stay here and run for help if necessary."

"Be careful, Wizardmon." Palmon warned. Wizardmon nodded and went invisible, silently floating over to where the strange woman stood. He remained invisible and as quiet as he could manage, watching the woman pull one of her hairs from her head. The silvery strand waved in the wind briefly before straightening and going stiff.

"Hair today, gone tomorrow." The woman said, pressing the hair into the spire. Where the hair touched rippled with red light and the white hair disappeared inside the spire. _"Spirit Needle!"_

The Control Spire began to glow brightly, almost blinding Wizardmon. _This power and magic is radiating with the same dark energy I felt when we fought that Thundermon! Who _is _this woman? Some sort of Witchmon or something?_

The light died down, and Wizardmon's and Palmon's eyes widened. _That's not possible. _Wizardmon thought.

"Go." the strange woman ordered. "Flood the city. Leave it in ruins. Now do as I command!"

"Hey!" Wizardmon shouted, suddenly going visible so the woman and her creation could see him. "What do you think you're doing?"

The strange woman stared at Wizardmon, her eyes hidden by rounded purple sunglasses. "Ah, Wizardmon; the DigiDestined of Darkness. We meet at last."

Wizardmon narrowed his eyes. "How do you know who I am?"

"I've heard much about you." The woman chuckled. "Like your unfortunate betrayal. Now you really shouldn't have done that, Wizardmon. You had a simple task and you failed."

"Don't you dare lecture me you ugly hag!" Wizardmon shouted.

"'Ugly hag'?" the woman repeated, sounding very much offended. "Well now that's not nice. Destroy him!"

The woman's creation raised his fists to smash Wizardmon into the ground, but both he and the woman became very confused when the monster's fists went right through the Digimon. "I don't think so." Wizardmon growled, going invisible and darting away. He approached Palmon and turned visible again. "Palmon, you return to your partner to digivolve and try to hold off that thing. I'm going to get help."

"Okay!" Palmon nodded, running off as fast as her legs could carry her. Wizardmon shot up through the trees and into the sky, flying as fast as he could back to where Rika rested. He finally found the girl asleep in a tree.

"Hey wake up!" Wizardmon shouted.

Rika jumped, her hands slapping the tree bark underneath her and steadying her so she didn't fall. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Rika snapped/yawned. "I didn't sleep well last night."

"No time for that! We got a Golemon about to flood and destroy a city!" Wizardmon said urgently. "Palmon and her DigiDestined partner are already at the dam but we need to hurry and help."

"Right." Rika stood quickly, suddenly awake. She jumped down from the tree and landed softly on the ground, brushing off the skirt of her dress. "Lead the way!" Wizardmon resumed his flying through the forest, Rika sprinting right beside him. Luckily the dam was only a short sprint away. "Was the Golemon controlled by a Dark Ring?"

"No." Wizardmon said. "But it explains why Thundermon's Life Flame felt so strange! We don't have much time we have to hurry!"

"Okay!" Rika rolled her eyes. "It's not like you could answer my questions or anything. Obviously we're too busy running at breakneck speed to stop an evil Digimon."

"That's correct!" Wizardmon confirmed, flying faster and forcing Rika to increase her speed as well.

"That was sarcastic." Rika muttered under her breath. She suddenly skidded to a halt when she reached the edge of a small ravine, with one end blocked by a dam and the other opening out to a nearby city. Advancing towards the dam was the Golemon Wizardmon spoke of. Across the ravine stood a red haired girl holding Palmon and surrounded by little white baby Digimon.

"Palmon!" Wizardmon called, shooting over to the DigiDestined of Sincerity.

"Wizardmon!" Mimi gasped. "You're here!"

"Is Palmon all right?" Wizardmon asked.

"She's unconscious but fine." Mimi said. "Please tell me you can help!"

"I myself can't; I'm only a ghost." Wizardmon said. "But my trainer Rika is right across the way. See if you can contact the other DigiDestined and we'll hold off Golemon!"

"Please be careful!" Mimi called as Wizardmon darted off.

Rika, in the time Wizardmon took to talk to Mimi, already began sliding down the steep incline to the bottom of the ravine, darting forward to attack the Golemon. She jumped up, ricocheted off the rock Digimon's back, and landed gracefully in front of him.

"Hey listen!" Rika ordered. "You can't destroy that dam! You'll be demolishing a city full of innocent Digimon!" The Golemon roared and swung his fists, but Rika darted away to safety. "I don't want to have to hurt you but if you don't calm down and stop I'll have no choice!" Golemon roared again and swung his fist to smack Rika aside, only to miss yet again when Rika jumped high into the air and landed several feet away. She drew her sword, brandishing it threateningly. "Okay. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Wizardmon floated down beside her. "Palmon and her trainer are okay. They're calling the DigiDestined now."

"Good." Rika nodded, not taking her eyes off Golemon. "You go stay with them until the others arrive. Protect them how you can."

"You know I can't attack when in spirit form." Wizardmon said.

"Yeah but your presence alone should deter other Digimon from attacking." Rika reasoned. "Now go!" She and Wizardmon split off, the latter up to Mimi, Palmon, and the babies and the former running towards Golemon to fight. She swung her blade towards Golemon's head, but the steel bounced off the rock Digimon's head, causing sparks to fly but not leaving even a scratch. Golemon made to grab Rika but she jumped around like a grasshopper and ended up on his back. He reached back to smack her off but couldn't even come close to touching her. Then, he seemed to give up and started towards the dam again. Rika slammed and sliced her sword into the Digimon but his rocky body hardly became scratched and Golemon continued up to the dam, climbing up the smooth rock face with surprising ease.

"How hard it is to stop a hunk of walking rock?" Rika grunted in effort, but her blade hardly left a scratch. Then, she hit Golemon as hard as she could with the hilt of her sword, and a small piece of him broke off. Underneath the rocky shell rested some sort of smooth, glossy black stone. Rika stared at the rock. "What in the DigiWorld?"

Suddenly, Golemon reached around and grabbed Rika in his fist, throwing her away from him. Rika screamed a little as she fell, but suddenly grunted from making contact with another Digimon. Opening her eyes, she was thankful to see she hadn't stabbed herself with her sword and that now she rode on the back of a familiar face.

"You really should've waited for us." Pegasusmon scolded gently.

"Where's the fun in that?" Rika laughed, sheathing her blade. "Let's go!"

The rest of the DigiDestined stood up with Mimi, Palmon, Wizardmon, and the YukimiBotamon. "Thanks for coming so quickly." Wizardmon said.

"Not a problem." T.K. assured. "Let's just get this Golemon under control."

The Digimon, with Rika still on Pegasusmon's back, charged towards Golemon as the rock Digimon continued to climb.

"First we're gonna have to get him off that dam!" Raidramon said.

Pegasusmon and Nefertimon took care of that, creating their Golden Noose and hooking it around Golemon's neck, stopping him from climbing up the dam any farther. With Golemon immobilized, Raidramon sent a Thunder Blast, Digmon a Gold Rush, and Shurimon a Double Star. The attacks hit their mark, causing a cloud of dust to erupt.

"Great shot, guys." Raidramon complimented.

"Way to go!" Rika cheered. But they gasped when they saw Golemon still hanging onto the dam, looking as though a ball hit him on the head and nothing more. He started pulling forward, dragging Nefertimon, Rika, and Pegasusmon back with him.

"That didn't even faze him!" Raidramon realized.

"He's too strong!" Pegasusmon groaned as he fought from being pulled back.

"Look for his Dark Ring and destroy it!" Nefertimon ordered.

"I'm all over it!" Shurimon shot up toward Golemon, but couldn't find any trace of the controlling ring. "I don't see a Dark Ring!"

"No Dark Ring?" Raidramon repeated. "That means he's not being controlled!"

"Yeah, just like that Thundermon I fought last time!" Digmon realized.

Suddenly Golemon swung his head around, forcing Nefertimon and Pegasusmon to careen into the dam and slam into the concrete. Rika screamed a little as she gripped Pegasusmon's mane tightly, but when he collided with the stone her side also hit the rock. The three of them slid down the dam and to the ground, lying there dazed. Rika shakily pushed herself upright, hurrying to the fallen Digimon's sides.

"You guys okay?" she asked worriedly.

"We're fine." Nefertimon groaned. Rika jumped and gasped when Raidramon suddenly slammed into the ground, followed by Shurimon when they tried to attack Golemon. Then, Golemon smashed his fist into the dam, and seconds later water came gushing out. The Digimon and Rika made a run for it, desperate to escape. The Digimon ran off to the right to a ledge higher up while Rika ran to the left, scaling the steep incline to reach the top. But she only made it a few feet from flat ground when her foot slipped on a loose rock and she started falling. Luckily, T.K. reached her in time to grab her arm and pull her up.

"Nice catch T.K." Rika complimented.

"No problem." T.K. smiled. Then he blinked in surprise. "Whoa. Talk about a wardrobe change. Where'd you get _that_?"

"Long story." Rika said quickly as they jogged over to the other DigiDestined. "Hey guys!"

"Rika!" Kari sighed. "Thank goodness you're okay!"

"Oh no the dam!" the YukimiBotamon cried. Everyone gasped at the tsunami-like wave of water currently cascading towards the city nearby.

"Quick you guys!" Mimi shouted. "Stop the water!"

"You heard the lady!" Raidramon shouted, leading the charge to get ahead of the roaring waters.

"I'll take care of this!" Nefertimon flew over to the hole in the dam. _"Rosetta Stone!"_ She launched four of the rocks, successfully blocking the hole and stopping the water.

"Take that ya big rock head!" Kari laughed.

"Sorry but I've already had my bath today!" Raidramon growled.

The Digimon hurried down the ravine, struggling a little to get ahead of the water. But they finally managed to get several hundred yards away and got to work. Pegasusmon dropped Digmon right where he needed to be while Raidramon and Shurimon cut down numerous trees lining the ravine. Pegasusmon and Nefertimon used a Golden Noose to tie the trees together, dropping them down to form a makeshift dam behind Digmon. Working fast, Digmon drilled down into the rock at his feet, creating a deep ditch for the water to go into. Pegasusmon and Nefertimon swooped down and lifted the armored insect Digimon to safety just as the water crashed into the trees. The tree dam stood firm, preventing the water from going anywhere except into the ditch Digmon made.

"There must be easier ways to water the plants." Nefertimon said with a mental smirk.

"You're telling me." Raidramon agreed, all of them a little tired from the adrenaline.

"That was awesome!" Davis exclaimed.

"That's what I call teamwork!" Mimi agreed.

"Oh no!" the YukimiBotamon cried. "Golemon's at it again!"

Everyone turned to said rock Digimon. "He's climbing up the dam again!" Davis groaned. "Doesn't he know when to stop?"

"I don't think so." Yolei sighed.

"Well he has a rock for a brain." Kari noted. "He can't be that bright."

"There's no way the Digimon can stop that much water." Yolei said.

"They won't have to if we can stop him." Rika drew her sword.

"Rika you can't go back in there!" Wizardmon protested. "It's too dangerous!"

"But they'll need all the help they can get!" Rika countered, running off before anyone else could protest.

Wizardmon growled. "I feel so useless! I can't fight when I'm in spirit form because I go through everything!"

"It's okay, Wizardmon." Cody assured.

"No it's not okay!" Wizardmon snapped. "How can I protect Rika or anybody if I can't fight during the day?"

The Digimon and Rika charged into battle, hitting Golemon with every attack they had. Rika slashed her sword and kicked and punched the rock Digimon, but nothing any of them did seemed to have effect on their adversary. Meanwhile Golemon continued to climb to the top of the dam, clearly prepared to destroy it completely and flood everything. Rika and the Digimon continued to attack, desperate to stop Golemon.

"Why is he so intent on flooding the town?" Cody asked no one in particular.

"Golemon doesn't seem to care that there are millions of Digimon down there." T.K. noted.

"That's why we have to stop him!" Yolei cried. "Those poor Digimon. How do we stop Golemon without hurting him?"

"We have no choice but to resort to extreme measures." Davis said regretfully.

"And exactly _what _do you mean by that, Davis?" Yolei demanded.

"We have to destroy him!" Davis said.

"Have you gone completely nuts?" Yolei snapped. "He's a Digimon! He's still a living creature, Davis! We'll have to think of another plan."

"If you've got a better plan I'd love to hear it!" Davis argued.

"What if we keep trying to protect the dam?" Yolei suggested.

"Now who sounds crazy?" Davis scoffed. "He swatted our Digimon like flies! We have to take out Golemon and protect the dam!"

"At least let's try, Davis!" Yolei argued.

"Look Yolei, the longer we fight him the better chance of him destroying that dam!" Davis countered. "There are millions of lives at stake. We have no choice!"

"There's got to be a better way!" Yolei shouted.

"It's too late Yolei; we have to act now!" Davis shouted back.

Yolei gasped when she remembered what happened between Stingmon and Thundermon. "If we destroy Golemon, we're no better than Ken and Stingmon."

"Yolei, it'll be all right." Wizardmon assured. "Golemon isn't—"

"It won't be all right if we kill him!" Yolei shouted at the Majin. "We don't kill Digimon and that's the final word on it! There must be a solution without violence!"

"I agree with Yolei." Cody said. "If we destroy Golemon, then we'll just be sinking to Ken's level."

"Right Cody." Yolei nodded.

"Wrong Cody!" Davis disagreed. "We have to do the right thing! Being a hero isn't always pretty. Maybe Ken did what he had to do to save people's lives!"

_Why does Davis always stick up for Ken? _Yolei wondered. _Even after he's seen him do such horrible things to the Digimon? Does he really think Ken has changed or has his hair gel leaked into his brain?_

"This might sound crazy but I think we should ask Ken for his help." Mimi piped up.

Everyone turned with a gasp of surprise. "Have you lost your mind, Mimi?" Yolei asked.

"Give me your D-terminal." Mimi ordered.

Yolei obeyed reluctantly. "You have _got _to be kidding."

"I'm totally serious." Mimi said. "Golemon's too powerful. We need all the help we can get."

"But he's dangerous." Yolei protested.

"Don't argue with me!" Mimi snapped.

"Mimi, how do you know if we can trust him?" Yolei asked worriedly.

"Yolei you're going to have to put aside your hatred for Ken. That goes for you as well, Cody." Wizardmon said. "Let go of your anger towards him and we can win this!"

_Maybe I _am _being too hard on Ken. _Yolei thought. _I really do want him to come I just can't admit it. _Golemon's roar made them all turn to the battle. Golemon swung his fist into Shurimon and sent him to the ground, forcing him to dedigivolve back to Hawkmon. The other Digimon and Rika surrounded Golemon, ready to attack again, when the rock Digimon launched another cloud of Crimson Curse. Rika was the only one who could duck behind something to escape it; the other Digimon fell to the ground and dedigivolved to Gatomon, Patamon, Veemon, and Armadillomon.

"I guess it's up to me now." Rika took a breath and jumped up towards Golemon, sword raised and ready. But Golemon suddenly swung his fist and punched Rika back to the stone of the dam, forcing her to tumble and barely grab onto the edge to stop her fall.

"Rika!" Wizardmon shouted.

"Run for it!" Davis called. "He's gonna break the dam!"

Rika held her sword in a tight grip with one hand and clutched the edge of the dam with the other, glaring hard at Golemon. A little blood trickled from her mouth, but she hardly paid any attention to it. The rock Digimon raised his fist to smash the dam and send Rika down with it. He brought his fist down…

….only for a familiar insect Digimon to catch his arm and stop him.

"It's Stingmon!" Davis realized.

Rika looked over to the tree line and saw a familiar raven-haired boy. "Ken!"

"Stingmon!" Ken ordered. "Give him your best shot!"

"Here goes nothing!" Stingmon kicked Golemon repeatedly, knocking the stone Digimon back and away from Rika.

_It's Ken! _Yolei realized. _He came to help us!_

"Way to go! Yeah!" Davis cheered. "I knew he'd come!"

"Me too!" Mimi said. "Now Golemon has his hands full!"

_Wow. _Yolei breathed, watching the fierce battle between Golemon and Stingmon. _Ken and Stingmon are defending the town! If Stingmon hadn't stopped Golemon, the dam would be history by now!_

Stingmon kicked Golemon farther down the dam, giving him time to pull Rika up onto solid ground. "Thanks Stingmon." Rika said, brandishing her sword. "Let's finish this!"

"No." Stingmon ordered. "You go stay with Ken and out of harm's way. Leave this to me."

"But I can help!" Rika insisted.

"You've helped plenty." Stingmon assured kindly. "Now it's my turn."

Rika seemed reluctant, but nodded and ran over to Ken. "Nice of you to show up."

"I don't abandon people in need." Ken said simply. "Not anymore."

On the other side of the ravine, Mimi gasped softly when she heard Palmon moan. "Look everyone! Palmon's waking up!"

"Golemon." Palmon said. "He's not what you think. He's not even a real Digimon." Everyone blinked in surprise except Wizardmon, already knowing the truth. "I know I sound crazy, but you have to believe me on this."

"What're you talking about?" Mimi asked.

"I was walking through the woods and found Wizardmon. We heard something so we went to check it out." Palmon explained. "That's when I saw this strange woman. She was casting a spell on a Control Spire. There was all this bright light. I could barely see. And then the Control Spire became Golemon!"

"Hey guys, I just thought of something!" T.K. announced. "Thundermon must've been one of those Control Spires too!"

"I'd be willing to bet that." Wizardmon agreed. "That's why Thundermon's and now this Golemon's auras feel so strange; they're physical bodies giving off auras without a real Life Flame. The thing that gives them life isn't a living object itself!"

"I bet Ken probably figured that out during the last battle." T.K. said.

"That must be why he wanted Stingmon to destroy him." Davis added. "He knew he wasn't a real Digimon."

"That's why Golemon attacked the dam." Cody realized. "He's a Control Spire under a dark spell!"

"A _very _dark spell." Wizardmon confirmed. "A type of magic only used by very evil people or Digimon."

Stingmon reeled back at Golemon's Crimson Curse. "Stingmon look out!" Ken shouted.

"Stay strong Stingmon!" Rika echoed.

Yolei stared in shock. _I was wrong. Ken _has _changed. I always assumed he was just as ruthless as before but now he's trying to _save _the Digital World. _"I'm sorry Ken. I was wrong." Suddenly, a bright glow emitted from Yolei's D3, and she pulled it out to stare at it.

Down in the ravine, Hawkmon felt something flowing through him, and he floated back up to his feet. His fellow Digimon stared at him. "Hawkmon. Are you okay?" Armadillomon asked.

"I feel rather strange right now." Hawkmon admitted.

Yolei stared at her Digivice for a moment before closing her eyes and admitting it to herself. _I know I was wrong._

Hawkmon became enveloped in a bright light, morphing and growing.

"_Hawkmon digivolve to…Aquilamon!"_

When the light died, a ginormous bird took Hawkmon's place, ready for battle. Yolei ran to the edge of the ravine, staring at her digivolved partner. "Aquilamon! Golemon is really an evil Control Spire! He's not a living Digimon! So give him all you got!"

Aquilamon nodded and roared, shooting towards Golemon and Stingmon_. "Blast Rings!"_ Rings of energy shot from Aquilamon's beak, leaving significant damage and exposing the Control Spire underneath the Golemon shell. "Stingmon! Attack!"

Stingmon nodded. _"Spiking Strike!"_ He shot down with his blade, nailing Golemon with a direct hit that obliterated the evil Control Spire Digimon's outer shell. "Aquilamon! He's weakened! Get him!"

"_Grand Horn!"_ Aquilamon's horns began to glow and he plowed into the Control Spire Golemon, successfully destroying him.

"They did it!" Yolei cheered.

Rika cheered for the win, jumping up and down excitedly. She turned to Ken with a smile. "Thanks for coming to help."

Ken turned to Rika and stared at her for a while. "Rika. Can you promise me that you're still the friend I had when we were little kids? You don't have to be the same little girl that taught me soccer or fell in love with my brother. Just tell me you're still my friend."

Rika stared at Ken and then smiled warmly. "Forever and always."

Ken smiled too. "Thank you Rika."

* * *

><p>"Rika!" Wizardmon floated over hurriedly as Rika, Ken, and Wormmon approached. "Are you all right?"<p>

"I'm fine." Rika nodded. "Really." She long since wiped away the blood from her mouth, and thankfully the black cloth of her dress hid the red liquid quite well.

"Whoa Rika." Davis breathed. "When did you get that cool dress?"

"It came when I entered the Digital World." Rika said. "Though it's never happened before yesterday."

"I think you look great!" Kari complimented.

"I think you look like a witch." Cody said innocently. Everyone laughed.

Ken stepped up, catching everyone's attention. He bowed to them. "I won't make any excuses. And I'm sorry for what I've done."

Davis looked to the others expectantly. Everyone else exchanged looks. "Thanks for coming when we called you Ken." Palmon spoke up first. "We were nearly finished back there."

"It's the least I could do after all the trouble I've caused." Ken said. "I want you to know I have nothing to do with that weird woman who turns Control Spires into Dark Digimon. Wormmon and I have discovered that she's able to recharge the old Control Spires through some sort of dark magic."

"Ken, if you knew about the Control Spires, why didn't you say something?" Mimi asked.

"Well…..I….." Ken looked down.

"We made the mess so we wanted to clean it up by ourselves." Wormmon finished.

"I guess you should've called a maid service, Wormmon." Davis joked.

"I wasn't sure if you guys were going to believe me." Ken said.

"I would've." Davis assured. "But the rest of the guys would've been a hard sell." Rika smacked him upside the head in response. He rubbed his head but continued. "We need to start over. Why don't you join us?"

"I'm sorry but I can't." Ken said, turning and walking away. Wormmon followed close behind.

"We can figure this out together!" Davis insisted. "Ken please! At least think it over! We really need your help!"

_I will think about it. _Ken assured. _But I just need to figure this out alone. _His D-terminal suddenly beeped. "Email?" He opened the piece of technology and read the email to himself. "'Thanks for helping us today. I can't wait for the day you decide to join us, Ken. Yolei.'" Ken turned to see Yolei smiling, holding her D-terminal. Ken didn't offer any response back, only turning and walking off with Wormmon. But inside, he felt a warmth that made him want to smile. _Thank you Yolei._

* * *

><p>Gatomon's muscles tensed, her shoulders wiggling a little. Her eyes narrowed towards the object that seemed to taunt her. Her tail swished back and forth, her claws beginning to come out. Then, she pounced, tackling the blue ball of yarn and mewing happily as she played with it. Rika and Kari, sitting up on the bed, laughed at the sight.<p>

"Sometimes I seem to forget that Gatomon's a cat." Kari said.

"She must go crazy for catnip." Rika giggled.

Gatomon continued to push and chase the ball of yarn all around the floor until she suddenly tumbled and landed right in Wizardmon's lap. "Oops! Sorry Wizardmon!"

"It's fine." Wizardmon said dismissively, taking the ball of yarn and rolling it aside.

But Gatomon didn't chase it, too busy staring at her friend. "Wizardmon? You okay?"

Wizardmon kept his eyes hidden under his hat. "Fine."

Gatomon frowned and climbed up onto the Majin's stomach, pushing his hat away to lock her sapphire eyes with his dark jade green ones. "Wizardmon." Gatomon used the tone of a mother scolding her child. "You will tell me what's wrong."

Now Kari and Rika stared at the two Digimon, looking very worried. Wizardmon stared at Gatomon for a moment before his eyes moved to his human partner. "Rika I don't want you running into battle anymore."

"What?" Rika asked.

"You running into fights like that with just a sword is going to get you killed and I won't risk it." Wizardmon said. "You will leave the fighting to me and never go into a fight again."

"I don't see why I should do that." Rika shrugged.

"Because I told you to." Wizardmon snapped. "Between the two of us I am the only one truly prepared and capable to win in fights against evil Digimon. Besides, that strange woman is still out there and we have no idea how dangerous she is."

"Yeah, but if we run into her again I'll be able to handle her." Rika assured. "I have my sword and my martial arts skills and we'll kick her ugly butt."

"I'm serious Rika!" Wizardmon hissed. "I am responsible for your life and I'm telling you now it's safer for you to stay out of the fights."

"You can't tell me what to do." Rika huffed, crossing her arms.

"I can so and you're going to obey me." Wizardmon growled.

"I can't just sit back and do nothing but watch everyone else fight." Rika snapped. "I'm going to fight how I can and if I get hurt then I'll heal and jump back into battle."

"You can't do that!" Wizardmon jumped to his feet, knocking Gatomon to the ground. "I promised I would protect you and I'm going to keep that promise!"

"Kind of hard to do that when we're fused together like this!" Rika snapped, glaring at her Digimon.

"I did this to save you!" Wizardmon shouted. Kari jumped, happy her parents went out for dinner so they didn't hear. "Everything I've ever done I did to protect you!"

"I never asked you to do that!" Rika yelled. "We're supposed to work hand-in-hand! I'm not a damsel in distress or anything! I don't want you to protect me if you're going to hang over my shoulder like this!"

"_I will not lose you like I lost my mother!" _Wizardmon shouted.

The room fell deathly silent, everyone staring at Wizardmon. The Majin lowered his eyes, his fists clenched. Rika narrowed her eyes. "Don't you mean our—" Her eyes widened. "Are…you talking about Witchmon? That Digimon who raised you?"

Wizardmon turned away, moving to the closet. Rika disappeared and reappeared in front of him. "Get out of my way." Wizardmon whispered.

"No." Rika sounded more pleading than ordering. "No, don't turn away from me. Don't shut me out. Talk to me." Wizardmon didn't answer, moving around Rika to open the door. "Wizardmon, please. We're not just partners; we're supposed to be like siblings. Please talk to me." Wizardmon didn't open the closet door, but he kept his back to his human partner.

"Wizardmon, we're here for you." Kari piped up.

"We're you're friends." Gatomon added. "You can talk to us about anything."

Wizardmon still didn't answer. He stayed by the closet door, hand resting on the wood to open it but not moving in the slightest. Rika reached a hand out to rest it on Wizardmon's shoulder, but her hand went right through him. The raven-haired girl pulled her hand back, sighing softly. Wizardmon pulled the closet open and slipped inside, resting on the futon on the floor and shutting the door behind him, encasing the Majin in the blackness.

_Blackness…..darkness…._ Wizardmon thought. _How appropriate for someone like me._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Rika's DigiWorld dress and sleeves are exactly like Blair's from _Soul Eater_, and her brooch is in the shape of Lord Death's mask. I do not own _Soul Eater _or Digimon.**


	12. United We Stand

**A/N: Wow. Tough week. Haven't written in a while. Good thing I'm catching up! I'll be updating this story and Smurfs 2 today to make up for lost time!**

**read and review please!**

* * *

><p><strong>Episode 26: United We Stand<strong>

"Ow! Shurimon watch what you're doing." Davis complained.

"You don't have to yell at me." Shurimon rolled his eyes, leaping off to find more rocks for the bridge they worked on. It was another day of cleaning in the Digital World, and they worked for most of the day on a new bridge over a small river.

Davis stood from his pile of rocks and stretched, wiping the sweat from his brow. "We need a rest."

"I'm with you." Cody agreed. Everyone else soon followed suit as they sat off to one side for lunch.

Rika glanced over at Spirit Wizardmon, currently sitting with the other Digimon while they ate. The Majin cast a brief glance at his trainer before looking away. Rika mirrored his actions, the brim of her hat shielding her face from view.

Yolei glanced off into the distance before looking to Kari. "Kari, I wonder, do you think it's possible that Ken's in some kind of danger?"

"What do you mean?" Kari asked.

Yolei looked down. "That woman that Palmon was telling us about. I just know she's up to no good and I think he might be in her way."

"Good." Rika said. "Maybe he'll stop her from making any more evil Digimon. And if he can't—" She drew her sword, stabbing it into the grass. "—then we can take over and kick her to the other side of the DigiWorld."

Wizardmon flashed a glare in Rika's direction, his hand tightening around his staff. Rika mirrored his glare, her hand clenching the handle of her sword tightly. Yolei looked back and forth between them. "Uh, are you guys okay?"

"They had a bit of a disagreement last night." Kari admitted.

"We're not necessarily on speaking terms." Rika added, pulling her sword from the ground and sheathing it.

Yolei sensed the tension rise. "Uh, why don't we get back to work?"

"Already?" Veemon asked. "We just finished eating."

"The sooner we get back to work the sooner we finish." Yolei reasoned, standing hurriedly. The other DigiDestined joined her, digivolving their Digimon to help. They talked and laughed a bit while they worked, cementing rocks into place and smoothing out the top for easy walking. It was still a couple hours until they finished, but when Flamedramon used his fire to harden the last section of cement they all gave a collective sigh of relief.

"It seems sturdy enough." Cody noted, tapping the stone bridge with his foot.

"Of course it is!" Davis scoffed with a smile. "What do you mean by that anyway? Don't you think I know what I'm doing?"

"_You_ said it." T.K. smiled.

"Yeah." Yolei smirked. "Even if it is what we were all thinking."

"Hey, that rockslide thing wasn't my fault." Davis said as they started walking off. "It was Flamedramon."

"Was not." Flamedramon said.

"Was too." Davis insisted.

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"You two would make good scratching posts." Gatomon sighed in irritation.

"Let them tire each other out now." Wizardmon whispered to her. "Maybe then we can get through the rest of the day without hearing them nag."

"Clearly you haven't spent enough time with Veemon and Davis." Gatomon sighed.

Wizardmon chuckled, but suddenly seized up with a gasp. "No not again!"

"What is it?" Gatomon asked in a hushed tone while everyone else listened amusedly to Veemon and Davis.

"I sense that dark energy again." Wizardmon groaned. "It's not very far from us."

Gatomon looked behind them. "There is a Control Spire fairly close to us. Maybe that's it."

"No, it's something more." Wizardmon said.

"What's this about a dark energy?" Rika whispered as she appeared beside them.

"I don't remember inviting you into our conversation." Wizardmon snapped.

"I don't think you remember that our minds are connected." Rika snapped back. "I can hear everything you think."

"Eavesdropper." Wizardmon huffed.

"It's not like I _want _to!" Rika hissed.

A loud roar made them jump and spin around. They noticed a hulking figure walking towards their recently finished bridge. "What does he think he's doing?" T.K. gasped.

"Looks like he's heading for the bridge!" Davis realized.

"Maybe he's just admiring the detailed architecture." Cody said hopefully.

"Yeah or a way to blow it up." Kari said.

"No, not again!" Yolei groaned.

"Davis!" Veemon called.

Davis took out his D3. "Yeah! Digi-Armor Energize!"

"_Veemon Armor Digivolve to….Raidramon, the Storm of Friendship."_

Davis jumped onto Raidramon's back and they sprinted down the hill. The others charged down after him and towards the hulking figure already beginning to destroy the bridge. "Hey I know that Digimon!" Rika announced. "It's a Minotarumon! Watch out for his left hand; it's encased in iron! He'll destroy that bridge in seconds!"

"Not my bridge!" Davis called. "Get him!"

"_Thunder Blast!"_ Raidramon launched the attack, but Minotarumon smacked the blast aside and then proceeded to smack Raidramon and Davis into the water.

"Davis!" T.K. called. "Taking a swim?"

"Very funny T.P.! A little help here?" Davis shouted back.

Raidramon shot towards Minotarumon but he was knocked aside again. "Davis is gonna mess this up again!" Yolei growled. "Hawkmon!"

"My pleasure!" Hawkmon said, flying up.

"_Hawkmon digivolve to…..Aquilamon!"_

Aquilamon shot down and picked Minotarumon in his talons. But Minotarumon wiggled so much he ended up falling and crashed into the bridge, leaving a crater.

Yolei face palmed. "Oy vey."

"My turn!" Rika pulled out her sword, but T.K. took her arm.

"You better stay out of this." T.K. suggested.

"Give me one good reason why." Rika snapped.

"Hold on!" Kari called. "That thing's a Control Spire!" Everyone looked to see Aquilamon's talons tore off some of the evil Digimon's shell, revealing the obsidian core beneath.

"It's not real!" Cody realized.

"It's real enough!" T.K. said. "Let's get him!"

"You got it!" Kari nodded, looking to Gatomon. The cat glared back determinedly.

"You ready?" T.K. asked Patamon, who matched Gatomon's glare.

"_Digi-Armor Energize!"_

"_Gatomon Armor Digivolve to…..Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"_

"_Patamon Armor Digivolve to…Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!"_

The two Digimon created their Golden Noose and wrapped it around Minotarumon, restricting his movement. Raidramon leaped from the waters and launched a powerful Thunder Blast, successfully destroying the evil Digimon.

"Now you're talking!" Davis cheered. Then, his eyes widened at the sight of the bridge, now with a good-sized crater in it from where Minotarumon hit. "Oh no! Looks like he took a big bite out of it!"

"So much for all our hard work." Rika sighed, sheathing her blade. Raidramon dedigivolved back to Veemon and he and Davis climbed back up to the others. Together, the DigiDestined walked over to the crater to survey the damage.

Davis fell to his knees, groaning hopelessly. "I feel so violated."

T.K. smiled. "We still respect you."

"That's right Davis." Kari chimed in. "We're just gonna have to rebuild it again. And it'll be easier this time."

"She's right you know." Cody said. "We really learned a lot from all of our mistakes."

"Yeah, and this will give you the chance to make new mistakes." Yolei joked.

Davis groaned again. "But I liked my old mistakes better."

"I'm sure you won't miss them." Rika smirked.

Davis blinked, as though suddenly realizing something. "Hey. Speaking of mistakes we should ask Ken to help."

His statement was met with numerous shocked and somewhat outraged responses from his fellow DigiDestined, sans Rika and Wizardmon who remained quiet.

"Thanks for the support." Davis said sarcastically. "But seriously, I bet he'd jump at the chance to help us."

"I don't know." Cody said. "I don't trust him."

"You may be right but he's the only one who _can _help." Davis protested.

Cody thought for a moment, his eyes downcast. "Well…..I'm just not comfortable around him. It's hard for people to really change."

"When given the chance it makes things easier." Rika said.

"I think it's too risky." Cody said.

"You got a point." Davis admitted. "But I have a good feeling about it, Cody."

"Really?" Cody asked almost disbelievingly. "But why, Davis?"

"That Digi-Egg." Davis said. "If you had seen what I saw you'd believe in him too. I mean, his Crest of Kindness turned into a golden Digi-Egg. It was the most amazing thing. You're gonna think I'm crazy when I say this, but I guess you already think I'm crazy so here it goes: that Digi-Egg believed in him. And it was like it was telling me _I _could believe in him too." Davis smiled. "It almost felt like it was asking me to go ahead and trust him. I know that's not very logical, but then again neither am I! All I know is he has to have the Crest of Kindness for a reason! And what about his Digimon? He believes in him too! I think it's because Wormmon knew it was in his heart. He's good, I know it."

"He certainly seems repentant for what he's done." Rika noted. "One of the first steps to forgiveness is admitting you were wrong about something and saying you're sorry." She cast a soft look towards Wizardmon but looked away a second later.

"But what if you're wrong Davis? And besides he's made it clear he doesn't want to be part of our team." Kari noted.

"Yeah I know." Davis said. "But I'm an optimist."

"Goody for you." T.K. said. "But realistically he could still be bad to the bone! I think Cody is right; he usually is."

"How can you guys hold such a grudge?" Rika demanded.

"You weren't there when Ken did all that horrible stuff as the Digimon Emperor." Cody said. "You don't know what he did."

Rika scoffed. "Sure, keep believing that."

Everyone fell into silence, broken by Yolei's yawn. "I'm bored and all this talking isn't getting us anywhere. Don't forget that crazy white-haired chick is still out there and she's up to no good."

"Then what are we doing just standing here?" Rika demanded. "Why don't we actually _look _for this 'crazy white-haired chick' and find out what she's doing in the Digital World?"

"We don't necessarily want to cause a conflict with her." T.K. said.

"That's better than standing around like a bunch of yahoos." Rika said.

"Hey guys." Cody piped up, catching their attention. He stared at his D-terminal. "It's a message from Izzy. 'I'm getting a real bizarre signal. It's not too far from you. Check it out.' Hey it looks like the sector where Ken's base went down."

"Let's get moving!" Davis urged, spurring the rest of them to start running (or in Hawkmon's and Patamon's cases, flying) towards the sector Izzy labeled on the map. Veemon, Patamon, Gatomon, and Hawkmon digivolved to Raidramon, Pegasusmon, Nefertimon, and Aquilamon and the others climbed on, making the journey much shorter. Rika rode Pegasusmon with T.K., staring straight ahead.

_Hey Rika? _Wizardmon's voice echoed in Rika's head.

_Yeah? _Rika responded mentally.

_When you were talking earlier about forgiveness and admitting someone was wrong….._

_I was talking about our little…..disagreement._

_I suppose I did overreact a little._

_No, you had every right to respond the way you did. You've been through a lot and now we're in a situation once again where my life can be put in danger. I know you can be protective of me and I never took that into consideration. Now that I think about it, I don't think I ever really take that into consideration. I'm sorry._

_I'm sorry too. You're not that same little girl I met four years ago. I haven't even realized it but you've grown in the past four years._

_Well we've both been through a lot._

There was a pause, then Rika felt Wizardmon's aura change to a more positive one. _Thank you for understanding._

_Thanks for being a great Digimon partner._

* * *

><p>The DigiDestined finally reached the sandy, desert-like area and landed several hundred yards from Ken's downed base. The Digimon dedigivolved and everyone gathered close.<p>

Yolei had her D-terminal out and talked to Izzy as they landed. "What's going on? Can you tell?"

"_My theory is that a major power source is about to melt down." _Izzy spoke from the other end of the line. _"If you guys don't shut it down, and I mean fast, it'll explode!"_

"What do you mean 'explode'?" Davis demanded.

"_I mean 'explode,'" _Izzy said as though it obvious. _"You know, 'boom'?"_

"This is bad." Cody groaned. "But what can we do?"

Davis thought for a moment, then gasped softly in realization. "The Crest of Kindness. I'll bet it's because Ken's Crest isn't there anymore. I don't care what anyone says, we need Ken's help and we need it now!" He started typing away on his D-terminal.

"But Davis….." Cody tried to protest.

"Shouldn't we talk about this?" Yolei suggested.

"We just did." Davis snapped. "You guys are going to have to trust me on this. I know I'm right and we don't have much time."

"I think Davis is right." Rika said. "Even if we don't want Ken a part of our group, we will need his Crest to shut down that power source."

Wizardmon's ghostly form appeared beside Rika. He looked troubled. Gatomon looked up worriedly. "Wizardmon? Do you sense something?"

"A dark energy in that base." Wizardmon said. "It's not as strong when we're this far away but it's still there."

"But I thought you could only sense auras and energies from living things." Cody said. "Are you saying there's something alive in there?"

"I can't tell." Wizardmon growled a little in frustration. "It's evil, it's moving like a living person but there's no Life Flame. I don't fully understand it and I _do not _like it."

"It's okay, we'll figure it out." Rika soothed. "No need to get worked up and no need to overthink it."

"Why not?" Wizardmon demanded.

"Because you seem to forget that our minds are connected." Rika said. "Whenever you think super hard about something it makes my brain hurt." She paused. "Hey wait, I feel something else."

"What do you mean?" Yolei asked.

"Another aura, and this one with a Life Flame." Rika responded. "I think it's the same one Wizardmon felt before."

"Before?" Kari asked. "When?"

A sudden explosion prevented further discussion, and they all turned to see a column of smoke and purple flames coming from the base. "This is crazy!" T.K. said. "What do you expect us to do, Davis?"

Davis groaned in frustration. "Where's Ken? When he was the Emperor we were always tripping over him!"

"Wizardmon, go find him." Rika ordered. "Make sure he finds us."

"You'll have to meditate to get me out far enough." Wizardmon reminded her.

"I know." Rika sat down and crossed her legs. "Just go."

"Wait, what are you doing?" Yolei asked.

"Wizardmon and I can come out as spirits whenever we like." Rika explained. "But if we want to go a long distance away the one in control of the physical body has to meditate." She folded her hands and closed her eyes, focusing her energy. Wizardmon took off into the sky, searching for Ken's aura to better track him. Then, he caught a sense of an evil aura, this one smaller and supported by a Life Flame as Rika described earlier. He looked down and saw a figure standing before a small TV, seeming to be talking to it. Wizardmon narrowed his eyes in suspicion and confusion.

* * *

><p>Wormmon hoped that since Ken stopped being the Digimon Emperor the boy would listen to him more often. But it seemed he forgot that Ken was always stubborn even before he became the Digimon Emperor. Hence his constant speaking to that evil woman in Ken's computer despite Wormmon's constant pleas for him to ignore her. Something about that woman made Wormmon very nervous, and it wasn't just because she looked witch-like.<p>

The sound of the telephone interrupted Wormmon's thoughts. "Hmm. Telephone. Oh Ken!" Ken didn't seem to hear, too focused on the white-haired woman on his computer screen.

"_Oh yes you're _so _special." _The woman said sarcastically, rubbing a lock of her hair. Ken growled in frustration and anger.

Wormmon stared at his partner worriedly. _What now?_

"_The truth is any pretty little boy would have been as good." _The woman shrugged.

"You used me!" Ken snapped.

"_Of course I did you little fool." _The woman droned, making Ken angrier. _"Temper, temper! But you were always so easy to manipulate. The perfect toy. Oh, I meant to say tool. And you thought building the Control Spires was _your _idea! Ha!"_

"What are you talking about?" Ken growled.

In the meantime, the phone continued to ring in the background. Wormmon looked back and forth between the phone and his human partner. "I can't take this anymore." He mumbled, picking up the phone. "Hello? Ichijōji residence. I'm sorry, Ken's busy right now. Could you please hang up and try your call again later?"

"_Are you…..the operator?" _Izzy's voice came from the other end.

"No, I'm the Digimon." Wormmon replied. "May I help you?"

"_You must be Wormmon." _Izzy realized. _"You seem bright enough to me."_

Wormmon blinked. "Thank you…I think…what have you heard about me?"

"_Oh never mind!" _Izzy said urgently. _"This is an emergency! I need to speak to Ken right away!"_

_Perfect! Just what Ken needs right now. _Wormmon said. "One second please." He turned to Ken, who still faced the computer and that awful woman. Wormmon felt his blood boil a bit when he heard the woman insulting Ken. _That does it! _"Oh just hang up on her. She's not a nice woman and this is Digital World is in trouble, Ken. They need you right away. That boy Davis is sending emails."

Ken turned to Wormmon, gasping in surprise. Then he turned to glare at the woman again. "You knew about this didn't you?!"

"_Maybe I did."_ The woman replied simply.

"_Ken!"_

Ken and the woman gasped softly. The woman spun around and Ken noticed Wizardmon floating in the background. _"You again you little pest?" _the woman growled.

"_Ken!" _Wizardmon called, ignoring the woman. _"We need your help! Your base is about to explode and we need your Crest!"_

Ken's eyes widened. "What?" He turned to Wormmon and quickly took the phone from the Digimon. "Who is this?"

"_It's Izzy." _Izzy replied. _"You need to get to the Digital World as soon as possible and take your Crest. I think Davis may actually be right this time! His theory is the power source of your base can only be contained by your Crest! It's a good theory!"_

"_Oh Emperor boy!" _the woman called again teasingly.

Ken kept his glare. "I have a little theory of my own to check out."

The woman chuckled evilly. _"Very clever but I'm still ahead of you."_

"Not for long." Wormmon assured.

"_Just get out of here and leave them alone!" _Wizardmon ordered.

"_Or what?" _the woman asked, turning to Wizardmon. _"Are you going to stop me with an attack that'll go right through me?"_

Ken's glare deepened. "What are you talking about?"

"_I know all about Wizardmon's little predicament with his trainer." _The woman said. _"How does it feel, Wizardmon? To be so completely useless to your partner?"_

"Shut up and leave him alone!" Ken shouted.

The woman laughed again. _"I have more important business to attend to. Farewell Emperor Boy." _A burst of dust and sand erupted around her and she disappeared from sight.

Wizardmon ran to the TV and stood in front of it. _"Ken. Get your Crest and get over here _now._"_

"Stand back Wizardmon!" Ken ordered, grabbing his Crest from his desk drawer and stuffing it in his pocket. He grabbed his D3 and Wormmon joined him as they shot through the computer and into the Digital World. Wizardmon jumped back as the boy and insect Digimon materialized before him.

"Everyone's this way, come on!" Wizardmon floated several feet off the ground while Ken and Wormmon ran after him.

"Oh dear." Wormmon groaned. "What's that?" They looked ahead to see a column of purple flames and black smoke.

"That's the base." Wizardmon explained.

"Wizardmon, you go back to Rika in case she needs your help." Ken said.

"I'm a ghost now, Ken. I can't attack or even defend against anything." Wizardmon argued.

"I would feel better if Rika had her partner with her." Ken said. "Just go!"

"All right, I'll do it. Just follow the column of smoke." Wizardmon instructed. "You'll find us!"

"You just get back to Rika and the others." Ken said. "We'll meet you there!"

"Please hurry Ken!" Wizardmon called as he flew off and disappeared.

Ken nodded as he and Wormmon ran across the sand, keeping the column of smoke in sight. _What was I thinking? _Ken growled to himself.

"You're thinking too much again." Wormmon panted.

"That's because I have to find a way to end this!" Ken said. His thoughts traveled back to Sam, and the days that followed after he lost him. "She used my pain and guilt to control me! I'm guilty of too much already." He glared in determination and put on more speed. "Not this time!"

* * *

><p>Another explosion rang out and more smoke flew up into the air. "Another one." Cody groaned. "Do you think maybe we should all move back a little?"<p>

Wizardmon suddenly appeared beside Rika, allowing her to stop meditating and stand up. "Ken's on his way."

"Great job Wizardmon." Rika said. Another explosion erupted, the shockwave blowing sand into the DigiDestined's faces.

"It's getting worse!" Kari cried.

"So where's Ken, huh?" Yolei demanded.

"I'm sure he's on his way!" Davis assured.

"He's a little far out but he'll be here!" Wizardmon assured. "He won't let us—" He froze, then turned and glared. "She's back."

Everyone turned to see a strange woman, like the one Palmon and Wizardmon described, standing off to one side and smirking evilly. "Who invited her?" Yolei demanded.

"Maybe Ken sent his secretary instead." Cody said.

"You children are all so terribly rude." The woman droned. "Always interfering in my business." She reached up and pulled out several of her white hairs, holding them up to the wind. _"Spirit Needle!"_ The hairs became straight and stiff and flew into ten of the Control Spires that surrounded them. The obsidian obelisks flew high into the air and congregated in the sky, shifting and forming a large, beetle-like Digimon much to the DigiDestined's shock.

"Destroy them!" the woman ordered.

"Well now I've seen it all!" Kari gasped.

"How does she do that thing?" Yolei cried.

"I don't know but she sure is good at it!" Cody gulped a little.

"Bad news guys." Rika groaned. "That's Okuwamon, an Ultimate Level bug Digimon with a Double Scissor Claw attack that we _definitely _don't want to experience."

"It's show time guys." T.K. called as Okuwamon landed before them, ready to fight. The DigiDestined took out their D3s, activating their Digimon's digivolutions.

"_Veemon digivolve to….ExVeemon!"_

"_Hawkmon digivolve to…Aquilamon!"_

"_Armadillomon digivolve to…Ankylomon!"_

Wizardmon groaned. "And here I am of no help at all. If I could at least be solid again he wouldn't stand a chance."

"Don't worry about it." Kari assured. "You got Ken and helped guide him toward us. We'll take care of this overgrown bug."

"_V Laser!"_ ExVeemon shot his signature attack.

"_Blast Rings!"_ Aquilamon shot the rings from his mouth. Both attacks hit Okuwamon but he only shouted in pain and hardly stumbled.

"_Tail Hammer!"_ Ankylomon tuck and rolled, but Okuwamon smacked him aside and into the sand. Cody gasped and ran towards his Digimon.

"He'd be kitty kibble if I could become Angewomon." Gatomon growled.

"You go girl!" Patamon encouraged.

"Well you can't." T.K. said regretfully. "So you'll just have to do what you can. Got me?" Gatomon and Patamon nodded, and their trainers took out their D3s.

"_Digi-Armor Energize!"_

"_Gatomon Armor Digivolve to….Nefertimon, Angel of Light!"_

"_Patamon digivolve to….Angemon!"_

"_Double Scissor Claw!"_ Okuwamon swiped at Aquilamon, knocking the large bird out of the air and forcing him to crash into the sand. The bird Digimon suddenly dedigivolved, much to Yolei's horror.

"Hawkmon!" she ran over to her fallen Digimon. "No, stop!"

Angemon flew in as Okuwamon advanced towards the fallen bird. _"Hand of Fate!"_ He threw is signature and one of his most powerful attacks, but it only seemed to make Okuwamon angrier. The Control Spire Digimon smacked Angemon out of the sky with a blow strong enough to make him dedigivolve to Patamon again.

"Patamon!" T.K. cried as he ran over to him.

"Angemon's attack is most effective against evil Digimon." Kari realized. "That thing's not even a Digimon!"

Meanwhile, the rest of the Digimon received serious blows, forcing them to dedigivolve and lay near-helpless in the sand. Only ExVeemon could escape Okuwamon's wrathful strikes. The DigiDestined children ran to their fallen partners, staring worriedly and futilely attempting to protect their Digimon.

Rika glared at the destruction around her. "I can't just sit here anymore. I'm going in!"

"Rika no!" Wizardmon protested. "It's too dangerous!"

Rika didn't listen as she drew her sword and ran into the battle. "Hey you stupid overgrown beetle! You leave my friends alone!" She jumped up and raised her sword, slashing the blade across Okuwamon's hard shell. Her sharp blade left a scratch, but not much more. Nonetheless, she continued to attack the much-larger-than-her Digimon.

Ken and Wormmon put on a fresh burst of speed when they saw the large Okuwamon facing off against ExVeemon and Rika. "My turn?" Wormmon asked, with a determined glare.

Ken took out his D3. "Hero time, Wormmon!" A bright light surrounded Wormmon.

"_Wormmon digivolve to…..Stingmon!"_

Stingmon shot up into the air and flew towards Okuwamon, jabbing him with his Lightning Strike to stop the beetle Digimon from attacking ExVeemon.

"What took you so long?!" ExVeemon shouted.

"Welcome to the party Stingmon!" Rika called. Okuwamon suddenly swung an arm around and swatted Rika aside. The girl screamed as she flew through the air, her sword dropping from her hand. Ken and Davis looked up and simultaneously gasped when they saw Rika hit. The raven-haired girl slammed into Ken and they hit the ground.

"Nice catch, Ken." Rika groaned as she stood up, helping Ken to his feet.

"This is why I told you to stay out of fights." Wizardmon said.

"Not now." Rika snapped as she scooped up her sword and returned to battle.

"Rika, stop!" Ken shouted. "Come back!"

Wizardmon disappeared inside Rika to speak to her. _You need to listen to Ken; it's too dangerous._

_We've been over this before Wizardmon. _Rika mentally snapped, slashing her blade. _I can't just stand back and do nothing._

_Rika please. _Wizardmon practically begged. _You have to listen to me._

_I know you're scared. _Rika assured, running up Okuwamon's leg and jumping around to avoid his strikes. _I'm a little freaked out too. But I won't let that get in the way of protecting my friends._

_Rika, I have every faith in you and your abilities with martial arts and that sword. And I am in no way scared. _Wizardmon assured, mostly lying on that last sentence. _But you're going to need more than your natural skills to beat this thing. You'd need the power of an Ultimate Level Digimon._

Something clicked in Rika's head. _Or maybe just the power of a really strong Champion Level Digimon. Like a certain Majin I know._

Even though she couldn't see it, Rika swore she could feel Wizardmon's eyes widening. _ARE YOU CRAZY?!_

Rika winced. _You realize if you mentally shout I can hear it very clearly?_

_Rika, I know what you're thinking and I'm telling you now that it's not going to happen! _Wizardmon snapped.

_Wizardmon, if you can channel your attacks like Magical Game and Thunder Ball through me, I can better attack Okuwamon. _Rika reasoned, dodging another swipe from the large beetle.

_Rika, I've only witnessed the success of such attacks once_. Wizardmon said. _What if I put too much power forth and it kills you?_

_Wizardmon, you need to trust me._ Rika pleaded. _I know you want to protect me, but I want to protect _you_. We need to work together like we always used to or we'll be torn apart, figuratively speaking of course._

_Rika…_

_I can do this. Trust me._

Wizardmon didn't answer for a moment before he gulped a little. _You think you can handle it?_

Rika smiled. _I am as you trained me. Let's do this._

Wizardmon shook a little. _Okay. Okay fine. But if you feel pain or like you can't handle it let me know. Don't pull any bravery stunts, okay?_

_Wizardmon, together you and I are invincible. _Rika assured. _Now give me something to work with._

As she fought, Davis and Ken continued to argue over taking the Crest into the base to stop the explosion. Both Ken and Stingmon seemed determined to go at it alone.

"What are you trying to do? Get yourself killed?" Davis demanded. "That's a genius move."

"It's my base, my Crest, and my fault." Ken determined. "No one else is going to die for my mistakes. Understand?" He looked up towards Rika. "Rika! Get out of there right now! You can't fight him alone!"

"I'm never alone!" Rika shouted, back flipping off Okuwamon and landing several feet away. "I have my friends by my side wherever I go. Wizardmon will always rest within me. And with Wizardmon's power we'll be unstoppable." She raised her sword, and the air became full of static as though an electric storm came.

"Rika what are you doing?" Davis shouted.

Rika felt a strange energy surging within her. _This must be what you feel like when you use this attack._

_Yes. _Wizardmon said. _And when the time is right, attack._

Rika smirked and pointed her sword towards Okuwamon. _"Magical Game!"_

A burst of blue lightning shot from Rika's blade, nailing Okuwamon in the head and forcing him to stumble backwards. Everyone stared in shock, amazed by the feat. Rika's bangs stood up a little from the electricity and she looked thoroughly shocked by what happened.

"That…..was…awesome!" Rika laughed giddily. She took off towards Okuwamon. "Wizardmon give me a Thunder Ball!"

_Coming up! _Wizardmon nodded, surprised but happy by the success. Rika threw a couple Thunder Ball attacks, slashing her sword again. Okuwamon roared and swiped at Rika, missing every time.

"How does she do that?" Kari breathed. "Those are Wizardmon's attacks!"

"She's using Wizardmon's attacks because he's within her." Ken breathed. "That's amazing."

Davis looked to Ken. "We know the risks. See? Rika knows them and she doesn't care. None of us do."

"Have you forgotten?" Ken demanded. "I was the Digimon Emperor. I was a monster!"

"And I am as guilty as Ken." Stingmon said. "I didn't stop him."

"You two need to chill!" ExVeemon snapped.

"It's not completely you're fault!" Rika chimed in, throwing a Thunder Ball.

Ken clenched his fists, staring at the sand. "The only way I'll feel like a human again instead of a monster is to erase all trace of my evil. To fix things. The only way to do that is with my own hands."

"But Ken…." Davis tried to protest.

"He still has nightmares. Horrible ones." Stingmon explained. "But then, mine are worse."

"It doesn't matter what happens to me as long as I can accomplish my goal!" Ken shouted.

"Enough!" Davis snapped, slapping Ken. The raven-haired boy flinched, but didn't say a word. Davis glared at him. "I'm tired of your big bad wolf act!"

"He means lone wolf!" ExVeemon pointed out.

"That's what I mean, what he said!" Davis said. "I'm not going to let you do this by yourself, get it?! What about the people who care about you? At least think of your Digimon! Look at Rika!" Davis pointed to Rika as she continued her assault on Okuwamon. "She and Wizardmon are risking a lot by doing what they're doing but they're doing it for you! For all of us! We're here, we're helping and that's that! Wake up, Ichijōji!"

"Yeah wake up, Stingmon!" ExVeemon chimed in. "Here's your chance to stop him from doing something stupid!"

"That's what I said!" Davis said. "You're the genius Ken, _you _figure it out!"

"If I'm not here…" Ken murmured.

"_Then what?!" _Davis demanded.

Ken felt tears building up, but he fought them back. ExVeemon kept his glare on Stingmon. "Davis is right! Then what? How will you fix your mistakes if you're not here? I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I know that much!"

Rika shouted in pain as Okuwamon suddenly smacked her to the sand. She panted a little, shaking as she tried to rise. "Wow….using your attacks is taking a lot of energy."

_I feel it too. _Wizardmon panted. _We need to stop._

_But we hardly left a dent in that thing! _Rika still panted. _What do we do?_

Stingmon looked down, pondering ExVeemon's words. "You're right. I guess neither of us have been thinking very clearly."

"Okay so you messed up a few times, you think I haven't?" Davis demanded. "I do it all the time. Don't give up! Fix it!"

Ken shrunk back a little. "I don't know how."

"Do you think I do?" Davis scoffed. "You just keep trying until something works. And when it gets really bad, you hang with your friend. Because they're always your friends, even when you mess up!"

Ken squeezed his eyes shut. "Great! So what if you don't happen to have any friends?"

Ken and Davis suddenly jumped when bright lights emitted from their pockets, and they pulled out the source: their D3s. Stingmon and ExVeemon became enveloped in a strange teal glow.

Wizardmon suddenly appeared beside Rika. "That's incredible."

"What is it?" Rika asked.

"Davis's and Ken's Life Flames and auras have synced perfectly." Wizardmon said. "It's as though they're one person like us!"

"Hey, something's happening with ExVeemon and Stingmon!" Rika pointed to the two Digimon, both encased in spheres of light. Then, the lights combined into one.

"_ExVeemon…..Stingmon….DNA Digivolve to…Paildramon!"_

Everyone stared in shock at the new Digimon that stood where ExVeemon and Stingmon once did, looking very similar to both Digimon.

"What…..is…that?" Rika breathed.


	13. Fusion Confusion

**Episode 27: Fusion Confusion**

"_ExVeemon…..Stingmon….DNA Digivolve to…Paildramon!"_

Everyone stared in shock at the new Digimon that stood where ExVeemon and Stingmon once did, looking very similar to both Digimon. The skin, armor, and wings all derived from both of the Digimon, only with the added bonus of a red helmet and a pair of machine guns at his hips.

"What…..is…that?" Rika breathed.

"Take your best shot!" Paildramon taunted.

Davis and Ken continued to stare in shock and awe. "Paildramon?"

"That's us!" Paildramon's voice came out as a simultaneous use of ExVeemon's and Stingmon's voices.

"They became one." T.K. breathed.

"How could he possibly win?" Yolei wondered aloud.

"You just watch me, Yolei!" Paildramon assured. He prepared for a fight, ready to take down Okuwamon, who responded with a defiant roar. Paildramon laid down the first blow, flying towards Okuwamon with a spinning back kick to the larger Digimon's cheek. Okuwamon hit the sand. "Ready for Round Two?" Paildramon laughed. Okuwamon roared again and shot towards the smaller Digimon, attempting to crush the hybrid in his scissor-like claws. Paildramon managed to hold them back and even threw Okuwamon aside. _"Cable Catcher!"_ His fingers seemed to detach from his hands and the long cables attached wrapped around Okuwamon's legs. "You're grounded!" Paildramon growled as he threw Okuwamon back to the sand. The DigiDestined watched, awestruck by the power of this Digimon hybrid.

"He fights something fierce!" Armadillomon said.

"Yes, he's most certainly beating the tar out of that Okuwamon chap." Hawkmon agreed.

"Yeah, but does he have to make it look so easy?" Patamon complained. "It makes the rest of us look like weaklings."

"He's tearing up Okuwamon like he was a scratching post." Gatomon noted.

"But I don't understand why he had to merge with Ken's Digimon." Cody said.

Okuwamon shot up toward Paildramon, who darted away just in time and kicked the beetle Digimon's back to force him down again. "Going down?" he taunted.

Rika jumped at the impact from Okuwamon hitting the sand. "Wow! Talk about power!"

"This is amazing!" Wizardmon breathed. "I've heard of two Digimon combining to make one stronger Digimon but I thought it couldn't be done!"

"Didn't _we_ do the exact same thing?"Rika raised an eyebrow.

"It's complicated."Wizardmon shrugged.

"Our Digimon is great!" Davis cheered.

"'Our' Digimon?" Ken repeated.

"We're working together now." Davis said. "That's the power of friendship!"

"I guess….." Ken said a little uncertainly. He watched as Paildramon, the combination of ExVeemon and his best friend, shot up and started punching and kicking Okuwamon's jaw. "I don't know if I like this idea of a shared Digimon." Davis didn't seem to hear, too busy cheering on Paildramon.

"Quick!" Paildramon ordered. "Use the Crest of Kindness!"

"The what?" Ken and Davis asked, sharing a look. "Oh yeah!" They sprinted towards the fallen base, having come so close to forgetting about it.

"Don't forget about us!" T.K. called as the other DigiDestined hurried to catch up.

"Yeah let's go!" Kari urged.

"Hurry up!" Davis called. "We don't have all day, slowpokes!"

"Shut your trap before I shut it for you!" Rika snapped. They continued to run through the sand until the opening to the base came in sight. But Davis and Ken ran far ahead of the others.

"Davis, wait!" T.K. groaned. "His feet are faster than his brains!"

"There it is!" Ken pointed to a large hole in the side of the base. "The entrance to the cave!" Ken and Davis disappeared inside, leaving the others far behind.

"Those two are going to get themselves killed." Kari groaned. "Come on!" They finally reached the opening and carefully stepped inside, taking into account the amount of rubble and debris and otherwise dangerous obstacles that, if not taken carefully, could lead to a broken bone.

Not that it stopped Davis and Ken.

"There's no way they'll get through all this rubble." T.K. said. But much to their surprise, Ken and Davis skillfully leaped off and over rocks and pipes and wires and safely made it to the other side, leaving everyone else very much surprised yet relieved.

"Uh….I suppose Ken and Davis just didn't hear you, T.K." Yolei said.

"Let's just go!" Rika urged, helping everyone get down so they could follow Davis and Ken. Once they got past the initial pile of rubble the pathway became much smoother so they could run easier.

However, as they ran closer to the engine room, Wizardmon began falling behind. The ghostly Digimon suddenly stopped and floated lower to the ground, groaning a little as though in pain. Gatomon stopped and approached her friend with a worried look. "Wizardmon? You okay?"

"The deeper we go into this place the more uncomfortable I feel." Wizardmon's fists clenched. "Rika, maybe we should wait outside."

"We'll be of the most help here." Rika protested. "Paildramon can take care of Okuwamon."

"I just don't like the feeling I'm getting from this place." Wizardmon said.

Rika could see her Digimon was _extremely _troubled. She approached him and smiled softly. "I think you're just a little jittery and maybe overtired from our recent fight. Why don't you come back in me and rest for a while?"

Wizardmon sighed. "All right. Just be careful."

"You rest for now." Rika ordered gently. "Don't worry about a thing." Wizardmon nodded and disappeared. Rika stood and turned to the other DigiDestined. "Well what're we waiting for? Let's go!"

They continued on to the engine room, but by the time they arrived the power already began to shut down. Davis and Ken stood before a large generator, Ken's Crest of Kindness back in its place below its symbol.

"It worked!" Davis cheered. The rest of the DigiDestined cheered and congratulated their friends, all of them greatly relieved the danger passed.

Cody's D-terminal beeped and he pulled it out. "Hey, it's a message from Izzy!"

"What's it say?" Kari asked.

"The warp's back to normal!" Cody reported.

"All right!" Yolei cheered. "Score one for the good guys!"

"That's all we get?" Patamon scoffed with a smile. "All that work and we only get one point? T.K?"

"You get two." T.K. assured.

"And it's all thanks to your Crest." Davis told Ken.

Ken didn't speak, but he did smile a little. Rika came up and hugged him tight. "Way to go, Ken!"

"You're…..crushing…..my…..lungs!" Ken gasped. Rika laughed and set her friend down.

_BOOM!_

They all jumped at the loud explosion, staring worriedly at the ceiling. The ground shook beneath their feet and surges of what looked like green electricity sparked around the room. "What's going on?" Kari gasped.

"For some reason shutting down the reactor isn't stopping the explosion!" Cody realized.

"Heads up!" Rika shouted as more small explosions erupted above their heads. They ran off just as debris rained down on the spots they once stood in.

"Ugh!" Yolei groaned. "My hat's great in the rain but it doesn't work on concrete!"

"You and me both!" Rika gulped, holding onto her witch's hat as though it would fly off.

Cody's D-terminal beeped again and he hurriedly pulled it out. "Izzy says the warp is getting worse not better! The Crest didn't work!"

"How can that be?" Davis demanded. "We did everything we were supposed to do! We put the Crest of Kindness back where it belongs!"

"I knew something like this would happen." Ken growled a little. "My Crest is meaningless."

"No!" Cody insisted. "The Crest of Kindness should've stopped the explosion. There must be something else about this place that we don't know!"

"There has to be another energy source or the explosion would've stopped!" Rika added. "Maybe there's another reactor or engine or something!"

"Is there something you're not telling us, Ken?" Cody demanded. "There's something wrong here. And if there was anyone who would know what it was that person would have to be you."

Another small explosion rang out. "This place is gonna collapse!" Davis cried.

"Can't you or Wizardmon sense anything?" T.K. asked Rika. "You two are the energy readers here!"

"Wizardmon's still resting." Rika said. "But I do sense a dark energy in this base. It's a little far off from here so it's not the reactor."

"That woman's behind all this trouble!" Kari realized.

"Yeah knock it off!" Yolei shouted to the ceiling. "You're a real bad egg, lady!"

"_And soon you will all be scrambled."_

They whipped around to a nearby TV monitor, its screen lit up and showing the strange, white-haired woman. "You don't scare us!" Kari said bravely. "We'll beat you yet!"

"_Ha." _The woman scoffed._ "You don't even seem to know if you're fighting the right enemy or if your friends are really your friends."_

"You'll never win!" Davis shouted.

"_Oh but that's exactly what I'll do." _the woman laughed evilly and the monitor shut off.

In anger, Rika scooped up a piece of rubble and threw it at the TV, smashing its screen. "I really hate that lady."

_She's trying to turn them against me. _Ken glared at the ground, his fists clenched and his eyes locked on… _Wait. The pipes! _"Why of course!" He followed the pipes' trail to a dark corridor some feet away. "We've got to follow these pipes!" He took off running.

"Hey, where is he going?" Davis asked.

"Ken, wait up!" Rika called, running after her friend. The others followed, quickly catching up with the raven-haired kids and all of them journeying deeper into the base. The dark corridor began to light up a little, revealing red walls, floor, and ceiling that looked almost like the esophagus of a living creature. The base continued to shake as the explosion seemed to become more and more imminent.

"What're we doing down here, Ken?" Gatomon asked.

"These pipes send energy to the reactor above." Ken explained. "Following them will lead us right to the source of its power. If we plug that source, we should be able to stop the reactor from exploding."

"Then let's hurry!" Yolei urged. "We're wasting time by just standing around." They all nodded in agreement and hurried down the corridor with Ken leading the way.

"You think Paildramon is okay?" Rika asked.

"What makes you ask that?" Armadillomon asked.

"I just thought he'd be in here with us if he took care of Okuwamon." Rika shrugged. "I don't know, I guess the Control Spire Digimon make me a little nervous. We have no way of knowing if this Okuwamon is stronger than a regular Okuwamon because this one's made from Control Spires."

"We'll worry about it later." Davis said. "I'm sure Paildramon is wiping the floor with Okuwamon."

"These tunnels give me the creeps." Gatomon groaned as the cavern shook again.

"You know, this reminds me of something." Patamon said softly.

"How much further do we have to go?" Davis asked.

"What's that?" T.K. asked. Seconds later, an explosion erupted several feet ahead of them, causing debris to avalanche down and block their path.

"Oh no!" Davis groaned.

"The tunnel's blocked!" Kari cried.

"Thank you Captain Obvious." Rika rolled her eyes.

Kari decided to ignore the snide comment for now. "What're we gonna do?"

"Don't worry." Armadillomon assured. "Just leave it to ol' Armadillomon! _Diamond Shell!"_ He curled into a ball and rolled towards the debris, ramming into it and knocking it loose.

"_Feather Strike!"_ Hawkmon threw his feather ornament, the red and yellow blade slashing through the wires that hung from the ceiling and finally giving a clear path through the rubble. "Now we may continue."

"Let's do it!" Rika cheered, running ahead.

"Hey wait up!" Davis called as the others joined her.

"You guys are getting slow!" Rika laughed.

"Excuse us if we don't have the stamina of an Olympic athlete like you apparently do!" T.K. panted. "I would've thought you'd be tired to after fighting Okuwamon."

"It's really strange." Rika said. "For some reason I feel something giving me energy."

Nobody really questioned it again after that. They picked up speed as the shaking started getting worse. Small explosions echoed throughout the base and the DigiDestined could feel a sense of foreboding. Not only did they have limited time before the base exploded, but Rika brought up an excellent point about Paildramon. If he defeated Okuwamon already, wouldn't he come in after them? They couldn't communicate with him, so they had no idea what happened outside the walls of the base. What's more, something emitted a dark energy deep within the base, and energy that even the non-aura-readers could feel.

"There it is!" Ken pointed to the opening ahead of them. "The source of the reactor's power!"

"Boy if evil's got a color that's it!" Davis breathed.

They stared in shock at the inside of the room, which stood empty save for the towering, lumpy spire in the center. The rock seemed to form a snake that wrapped around the spire, the head sticking out a little and spewing a black cloud of energy from its open mouth. The spire had a purplish glow around it, making it look all the more deadly.

"It's so cold." Yolei whimpered.

"Are you kidding?" Rika scoffed. "It feels great! I can feel my strength returning to me; I feel like I could fight an army!"

"I feel like you've lost it." Cody said, rubbing his arms.

Rika rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She stared at the spire, clearly the source of the energy she received. _Then again, this thing is radiating with a powerful dark energy. Maybe this is what Wizardmon felt before that made him so troubled. But it feels so good; it's like being inside on a rainy day and then walking out into the sunshine. I can feel the energy soaking up into my very soul. It's giving me strength. I should be happy. _Her gaze shifted to each child and Digimon around her, who kept rubbing their arms as though they stood in a snowstorm. Clearly they looked concerned over the spire. _So why do I feel so conflicted? I have new strength to fight, but is it a bad thing if the source seems so evil?_

"This feeling…." T.K. murmured. _It's so strong…..so familiar…_

"I remember!" Patamon realized. "This feels just like when we were near that whirlpool."

"Yeah." T.K. spoke up. "I remember now. You're right Patamon; it _is _that same disturbing feeling."

"I felt it too." Kari said. "When I was pulled into the world that looked like a negative photograph. Everything that was supposed to be light was dark, even the light."

"The World of Darkness." Ken said solemnly. "This is a doorway that leads directly to the World of Darkness."

"How do you know?" Davis asked.

"Because I've been surrounded by this energy ever since I came to the Digital World." Ken replied.

"I can feel that thing's power building!" Kari's voice came out almost like a whimper. "We better do something quick."

"Yeah but what?" Yolei asked. They all jumped and shouted as explosions rang out again, raining down small bits of debris towards them.

"Come on!" Ken urged, spurring them into action. They slid down the incline towards the spire, some more gracefully than others but all careful to not fall and hurt themselves.

"Look! Up there!" Cody pointed to the snake mouth. "We've got to close the opening the dark power is coming through!"

"So what do you think we should do, Ken?" Davis asked.

"I don't really know but we've got to stop that power flow." Ken said. "There must be something around here we can use to stop it."

Another explosion, this one much closer to them. Rika shielded her face with her arm and her eyes suddenly widened. "Hey guys! I can stop it!"

"What?" Ken asked.

"Rika, what're you talking about?" Cody asked.

"We're dealing with dark energy here." Rika explained. "I'm the DigiDestined of Darkness. This is right up my alley!"

"Rika what're you doing?" Yolei demanded as Rika approached the spire.

"I'm going to absorb the dark energy into myself." Rika said. "Or maybe I can redirect it somewhere."

"Are you crazy? You could get killed!" Davis snapped.

"Unless you have a better idea, we're going to have to do it!" Rika reached her hands out.

"Rika no!" Ken moved to stop her but it was too late. Rika pressed her hands to the spire's surface and closed her eyes in concentration. The purple glow around the spire began to surround Rika as she started absorbing the energy from the spire.

"Hey, I think it's working!" Davis said. "It doesn't feel so bad anymore!"

"That's amazing!" Yolei breathed.

"But it also feels dangerous." Armadillomon gulped. "Can she handle that much energy?"

Ken thought back to when Rika took away the darkness within him, to help him look into his memories. "I think she's at least relieving the pressure to buy us more time. But she shouldn't stay on that for very long."

As if on cue, a grunt of pain escaped Rika's mouth. Her arms trembled, but she kept her hands on the spire. "Rika, you have to let go!" Kari called.

"No I can keep going!" Rika's voice came out strained but kept its strength.

"Rika, you've already relieved enough pressure!" Ken shouted. "Let go!"

"I can keep going!" Rika insisted. She grunted in pain again, and the purple glow around her seemed to get brighter. Rika's eyes shot open, only now the entirety of her eyes were pitch black.

Wizardmon's ghostly form flickered and then suddenly appeared beside Kari. He rubbed his eyes, looking like he just woke up (which he probably did). "What in the DigiWorld is going on?"

"Rika's trying to absorb the dark energy from this spire." Cody reported.

Instantly, Wizardmon was wide awake. _"What?!"_

"She's relieving some of the pressure from the energy source—" Ken started.

"No, no she can't!" Wizardmon shouted. "Rika! Rika stop! You'll kill yourself!"

"I can—" Rika's sentence turned into a blood-curdling scream as surges of black electricity sparked all over her body. Her head threw back and the dark energy seemed to seep out of her eyes like twin smokestacks. Ken rushed in and grabbed her shoulders, yanking her backwards and causing both of them to hit the ground. A large explosion erupted from the base of the spire where Rika held her hands, knocking all of the DigiDestined to the ground. When the smoke finally cleared, it seemed everyone was unharmed except for the now-unconscious Rika lying with her head in Ken's lap.

"Whoa what a doozy." Davis shook his head. "Is everyone okay?"

"I'm fine but my pride is bruised." Yolei mumbled. "But look!" Everyone looked to see lights running up the spire and felt the energy tension rise.

"The power output is increasing!" Cody gasped.

"This looks like the end." T.K. groaned. A glowing liquid began seeping from the eyes of the stone snake, which continued to emit the dark cloud of energy from its mouth.

Rika moaned a little, her eyes beginning to open. "Ken?"

"Hey, Rika's waking up!" Ken announced.

"Ken…..did it work?" Rika breathed. She turned her head to see the spire and the increasing energy. She sighed sadly. "Then I failed. It's over."

"No…..it can't be!" Ken stood hurriedly.

Everyone stared at the spire, wishing they knew a way to shut it down. But they could feel the energy increasing, and therefore the danger. It was only a matter of time before it would explode and take them with it. They needed a miracle.

And one came crashing through the rock and stone in the form of a hybrid Digimon.

"Someone call for a hero?" Paildramon called. _"Desperado Blaster!"_ He launched twin blats from his machine guns right at the snake head, destroying it and stopping the power flow. Everyone jumped at the surge of power and stared at the remains of the snake head, both surprised and very impressed. "Do I know how to make an entrance or what?" Paildramon laughed.

"Paildramon!" Davis and Ken cheered.

Cody's D-terminal beeped yet again. "Izzy says the warp is returning to normal! And it's all thanks to Paildramon!"

"What am I? Chopped sushi?" Rika smirked, still looking tired but now strong enough to stand on her feet.

"You did great, Rika." Kari complimented.

"It was pretty dangerous and a little stupid." Gatomon huffed, but then smiled. "But it was really cool too."

"Save the accolades!" Paildramon said. "This was just a battle. The war is far from over."

* * *

><p>The DigiDestined stood a safe distance away as Paildramon obliterated Ken's base into dust, completely wiping out anything that could be used for evil or otherwise.<p>

"Yes." Ken said. "Blow it up so no one else can ever use it again."

"Kind of a shame." Rika sighed. "It was a pretty cool base."

"But it was used for evil and darkness and we can't have that." Ken protested.

Rika went silent, as did the others when they heard Ken's serious tone. Rika felt her glasses sliding down her nose and pushed them back up, sighing a little. _Darkness. They talk about it like it's a bad thing._

_He just means the evil darkness. _Wizardmon assured.

_What other kinds of darkness is there? _Rika asked. Wizardmon didn't answer, only making Rika feel worse.

It took another few rounds of Paildramon's Desperado Blaster to fully destroy the base, but they did a good job with it. When the hybrid Digimon dedigivolved, two baby Digimon came bouncing up excitedly back to their trainers.

"Hey we're over here! Did we do things the way you wanted us to?" Leafmon called.

"Yes, you did an excellent job my friend." Ken smiled to his Digimon.

Davis stared at the little blue Digimon that approached him. "Um, you're Veemon, aren't you?"

"Well actually Davis you can just call me Chibomon for now." the blue Digimon said.

"Well whatever your name is, you rock!" Davis gave a thumbs-up.

Chibomon laughed, blushing a little from the compliment. He turned to Leafmon. "We make a great team, huh?" The two baby Digimon rubbed heads, laughing.

"We make a good team too." Davis told Ken, extending a hand towards him. Ken moved to take Davis's hand, but paused and clenched his fist. "What's wrong?"

"I just don't feel like I deserve to be friends with any of you." Ken said. "At all."

"Boy that's a lot of baloney!" Davis smiled. "Look Ken you've earned our friendship."

"I have?" Ken asked.

"Yeah sure!" Davis insisted. "You started out all mean and evil but you decided to change and become one of us. And working hard like that builds the strongest kind of friendship there is. Trust me, I know friendship and after all we've been through we're friends! And I'm absolutely not going to take 'no' for an answer!"

Ken didn't seem so sure, looking away from Davis. "I don't know. I've done a lot of bad things; things I'm not proud of at all."

"Hey, all of us have made mistakes." Davis shrugged. "Look at Yolei. She makes them all the time."

"Hey!" Yolei snapped.

Ken still didn't look sure. "I don't know." He reached down and let Leafmon jump into his arms. "I need some time to think about this." With that he turned and walked off.

"Wait Ken! No don't go!" Davis called.

Leafmon peered over Ken's arm. "Bye…"

Davis stared after Ken. "But we're friends now."

"You always come on so strong, Davis." Kari said. "You can't force him to be your friend if he's not ready. You have to let it happen naturally."

"Yeah but we just fought together." Davis said. "That makes us friends, doesn't it?"

"Fighting's one thing." Yolei shrugged. "But maybe afterwards he realized he wasn't ready to be friends."

"Give him time." Rika assured. "He'll come around."

"How do you know?" Hawkmon asked.

"I've been friends with Ken since I was eight years old." Rika said. "I know him. When he has a problem he likes to take time to sort it out alone."

"Or maybe he's just upset with a certain someone for pointing out how he makes mistakes." Yolei cast a look at Davis.

"Let's not fight." Cody said. "Let's just keep an eye on Ken and see what happens."

"Cody's right." Kari agreed. "There's absolutely nothing any of us can do about it now. So let's go home." She, Yolei, Cody, and their Digimon started walking off.

Davis looked towards Ken's figure disappearing over a sand dune. "Well I hope he decides to become our friend soon."

"I hope he doesn't start thinking it'd be easier to go back to being evil." T.K. said as they all started home.

"I don't think he will." Rika said. "He doesn't have any motivation for it now."

"How are _you _feeling, Rika?" Davis asked. "I mean, you took in a lot of that dark energy."

"I feel fine." Rika replied.

"You shouldn't have taken that risk." Wizardmon scolded.

"Wizardmon, did we or did we not already have a conversation about trust and whatnot?" Rika said.

Wizardmon rubbed his temples with a groan. "The stress you put on me is going to shorten my lifespan to about three years."

Rika rolled her eyes and laughed. T.K. still looked a little worried. "Rika, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes I'm fine." Rika nodded. "I just needed some time to rest."

"How did you do that?" Davis asked. "Absorb that energy within yourself?"

"It's just something I learned while training with Wizardmon in the Digital World." Rika said. She reached into her collar and pulled out her tag and Crest, touching the moon and star symbol carved in the obsidian. "I'm the DigiDestined of Darkness. I guess it's just an ability I have: to absorb darkness within myself and give me power and strength." She looked to T.K. and Davis. "I mean, what about you guys? T.K. you have the Crest of Hope. Davis your Amor Digi-Eggs are for a Fire of Courage and Storm of Friendship. Don't you guys have some sort of special powers?"

Davis and T.K. exchanged looks. Patamon and Chibomon exchanged looks too. "Uh, no not really." Davis said. "I wish we did."

Rika looked back and forth between the two boys. "So…I'm the only one?"

"Rika how did you get your Crest and Digivice anyway?" T.K. asked.

"Wizardmon gave them to me when he found me." Rika said.

"Well then where did he get them?" T.K. asked. They all turned to Wizardmon, who kept his head down to hide his eyes under his hat brim.

"Wizardmon?" Patamon piped up. "Didn't you say some human man gave them to you?"

Wizardmon could feel it already, that sensation he felt whenever Rika used to ask him about this. "Yes."

"So do you know who the man was?" Davis asked. "Come on you have to know _something_."

Wizardmon sighed. "The man is…not someone I can talk about."

"But you know who it is." Davis guessed.

"Well yes but—" Wizardmon struggled to keep his voice from coming out strained. _No please not now._

"Then tell us who it is!" Davis insisted. "Maybe this guy can help us!"

"He _cannot _help us!" Wizardmon shouted, making Davis flinch. "He's an evil, despicable, cruel— " The Majin suddenly gasped, his hand flying to his throat. Though in ghostly form he fell to his knees and continued to gasp as though a snake constricted his neck. T.K., Davis, Patamon, and Chibomon jumped, very surprised by the sudden asthma-like attack.

"Don't ask him about that!" Rika shouted, shoving Davis. She knelt down beside Wizardmon, staring worriedly. "Wizardmon. Stop thinking about it. Just forget about it."

Wizardmon's eyes squeezed shut, and in a few seconds he started breathing normally again. "Please…..don't ever ask me about that again…"

"But the guy that—" Davis stopped talking when Rika shot him a nasty glare.

"Leave it alone." Rika half-snarled. "I don't know how that man found my Crest or why I got it. But it's mine and I'm going to live up to the expectations."

The boys went silent, unsure how to respond to that. They didn't even know if Rika possessing that Crest or those powers was a good thing.

"We better hurry if we want to catch up to the others." Rika said. "Come on."

* * *

><p>"And the way I used that Magical Game attack with my sword?" Rika laughed. "That was so cool!"<p>

"It _was _impressive but you don't need to keep talking about it." Gatomon said.

Rika laughed again. "Sorry Gatomon. I'm just so excited! That was one of the most epic moments of my life! Imagine if you and Kari were fused as one. Can you imagine her using a Lightning Claw?"

Gatomon thought for a moment, imagining such a feat. "Actually that _does _sound interesting."

"Sure it is!" Rika said. "Hey Wizardmon! Can we throw a few more Thunder Balls off the terrace?"

Wizardmon sat in the corner, meditating peacefully, but still replied, "No Rika. When I'm in physical form there's no need to channel my attacks through you. Not to mention the fact that I simply don't want you getting in over your head."

Rika groaned. "Whatever you say Brother Dear."

"How long have you two called each other 'brother' and 'sister'?" Kari asked.

"Since I met him when I was eight." Rika said. "Wizardmon really became a part of the family."

"That must be nice to be able to pass off as a human." Gatomon said. "I have to pretend I'm an ordinary housecat to fool Kari's parents."

"But you're still part of the family." Kari assured, hugging her feline Digimon.

Gatomon purred as she rubbed her head against Kari's chin. "Rika, I want you to know I'm glad you found Wizardmon and accepted him into your family." The feline looked to the still-meditating Wizardmon. "He's my friend and I'm happy that he's happy."

Wizardmon's face showed no emotion, but Rika could feel his gladness towards the comment. "Well, we sort of found each other." She said. "I couldn't ask for a better brother."

The Majin's hands dropped into his lap and he turned his head from the girls. "I only wish to protect you."

"And you do a great job of it." Rika assured.

Wizardmon didn't answer; he stood from his spot and slipped out the door. Gatomon's ears drooped. "Did we say something wrong?"

Kari's eyebrows furrowed in thought and she climbed down from her bed, following Wizardmon's path out the door. She soon discovered the Digimon standing out on the terrace, staring out at the starry skies. The brunette preteen calmly walked out and joined him, leaning on the railing to stare at the stars. The two of them stayed silent for several minutes.

"You know I can see the island where you and Gatomon fought Myotismon from here." Kari said, pointing out the island in the bay. "All I could see was lightning for a while and then complete silence. I was a little kid then, and I was so scared you and Gatomon wouldn't come back." She smiled to Wizardmon. "But you did. You and Gatomon came back and protected me. Like any good friend, you stood by me no matter what…..even after you died." She placed a hand on Wizardmon's shoulder. "I will forever be grateful for having a friend like you."

Wizardmon didn't answer. He turned away from Kari so his back faced her. "Kari I don't deserve to be your friend. I don't deserve to be Rika's partner."

"Why not?" Kari asked innocently.

"Because I put everyone at risk by staying here." Wizardmon said.

"I don't believe that." Kari said, moving towards Wizardmon.

"You don't understand!" Wizardmon moved away from Kari, keeping his back to her. "All I ever do is lie to Rika, lie to everyone around me. I am a threat to yours, Gatomon's, and Rika's safety but all I want is to keep you safe!"

"Wizardmon, what's wrong with you?" Kari demanded. "You've been tense and jittery for days!"

"I can't tell you." Wizardmon said.

"Why not?" Kari asked, a slight harshness in her tone.

"Because it hurts!" Wizardmon whipped around to glare at Kari. "Whether I like it or not I am being controlled and I can't stop it!" His eyes dropped to the ground, his fists clenched. "Whenever I try to tell someone about it…something stops me." One of his hands reached up and started rubbing his throat, almost unconsciously. "It's like there's a snake around my throat, getting tighter and tighter until I can't breathe at all. It feels like I'm drowning but I'm not in water."

Kari's angry frown morphed to a concerned look. She suddenly pulled Wizardmon into a comforting hug, causing him to tense up a bit. But he soon relaxed. "Wizardmon. If it hurts so much then don't tell us anything."

"I just feel guilty." Wizardmon said, blinking back tears. "I once promised Rika there would be no secrets between us."

"It's okay." Kari assured. "You don't have to tell us anything. Some secrets are meant to be kept, especially if telling us hurts you so much. Just promise you'll stick around and not leave us, okay?" She held Wizardmon out at arm's length and her mahogany eyes locked with his dark jade green ones. "Promise me you will stay with our group. You're DigiDestined, just like Gatomon. Promise you will stay."

Wizardmon stared in Kari's eyes for several moments. Those sparkling orbs didn't hold any shred of anger or disappointment; they looked hopeful and kind, just as in Kari's nature.

The Majin smiled. "You have my solemn word."

* * *

><p>The next day, the DigiDestined met at Izzy's home so the redheaded brainiac could explain DNA Digivolving to them. As expected, Davis ran a little late and everyone needed to wait for him. By the time they arrived at Izzy's apartment it was far past the time they agreed to meet. But Izzy seemed understanding on the subject and invited his friends to make themselves comfortable so he could talk to them.<p>

"DNA Digivolving: What is it and How does it Work?" Izzy began. "I'm now creating a computer program that'll explain everything. But until it's done…" He turned to his computer and activated a short video sequence of ExVeemon and Stingmon DNA Digivolving. "Look at this. When two Digimon DNA Digivolve, the most powerful part of one of them merges with the most powerful part of the second, producing a Digimon that's more powerful than either of them alone."

"Is that what you wanted to tell us about DNA Digivolving?" Cody asked.

"Well, actually I wanted to show off my new computer program." Izzy admitted. "But there's also something even more serious I have to relate." T.K. and Kari exchanged looks, both wondering if Izzy meant what they thought he meant.

"Don't leave us hanging, Izzy!" Davis said impatiently. "What is it?"

"I really hoped to find a way to tell using my new computer program." Izzy murmured.

"But we're here now." Cody said, also getting a little impatient. "So please tell us the secret, Izzy."

Izzy nodded. "DNA Digivolving has happened before: Omnimon."

"Omnimon?" Yolei gasped.

"Let me explain _exactly_ how he came into existence." Izzy explained. "Gennai called us back to the Digital World. It was great seeing our friends; we thought we'd never see them again. We just figured that when we destroyed Apocalymon that the warp was repaired and that was the end of it. But Gennai told us that we also had to 'release the powers that protect the Digital World in order to defeat the forces of darkness.'"

_There they go talking about darkness again. _Rika mentally groaned.

_Just ignore them. _Wizardmon soothed.

"He had a habit of telling long stories that I'm not sure even _he _understood." Izzy chuckled. "But we all listened intently to what he had to say. And when _he_ was done, we knew what we had to do."

"'The powers that protect the Digital World'?" Cody repeated.

"That's right!" Kari said. "Izzy told me this story once. He thinks those powers are the same forces that originally picked us to be the DigiDestined."

"To defeat the forces of darkness we had to release the powers of our Crests." Izzy continued. "The eight of us knew this was the only way to save the Digital World from the evil forces that were threatening it. Our eight Crests combined to create a powerful force that spread across the Digital World. Kind of a coating of goodness, like the lamination on a baseball card or the plastic that covers a new box of floppy disks. It brought peace and beauty to the Digital World. The evil shield stopped the forces of darkness from spreading. It was great except there was a side effect none of us were prepared for. Because we had to give up the power of our Crests, our Digimon lost their ability to digivolve to their Ultimate forms. It was a sacrifice that meant, in a way, they had to say goodbye to a special part of themselves. They all took it pretty hard."

"But Wizardmon can digivolve to his Ultimate form no problem." Rika said. "Why is that?"

"You never had to give up the power of your Crest." Izzy explained. "Since Wizardmon is already at the Champion level like Gatomon, he needs the power of your Crest to digivolve to Ultimate. Besides, you also weren't part of the eight DigiDestined before this one. It would've been a little awkward if you had given your Crest type."

"Izzy!" Everyone snapped, making the redhead flinch. Rika glared at the ground without a word.

"We're not sad anymore." Patamon assured. "We know we'll be able to digivolve to Ultimate one day."

"Until then we'll even use balls of yarn to fight if we have to." Gatomon chimed in.

"Yeah, there's nothing that will slow you guys down!" Yolei said. "Right?" Gatomon and Patamon nodded.

"Why didn't you tell us all this before?" Cody asked Kari and T.K.

"It's not like we're trying to keep it a secret." Kari said. "But sometimes it's really hard to admit when you have a weakness."

"In a way, though, it's not really a weakness at all." T.K. said. "A DNA digivolved Digimon kind of fights a lot like an Ultimate Digimon."

"I never thought of that!" Cody smiled.

"You're right, T.K." Izzy confirmed. "DNA Digivolving is very powerful. It's sort of like when MetalGarurumon and WarGreymon digivolved together to become Omnimon."

"Yeah!" Yolei smiled. "I saw that happen on the internet!"

"Excuse me, but I still haven't finished my story here." Izzy piped up. "ExVeemon and Stingmon DNA digivolved into Paildramon because of the threat Okuwamon presented."

"So can they only DNA digivolve when there's a big enough threat?" Yolei guessed.

"There's only one way for us to find out for sure." Davis said. "We've got to go to the Digital World and fight that evil, white-haired lady."

"But she's so powerful." Kari groaned. "I mean, she turned a Control Spire into an Ultimate Digimon."

"I wonder who she is and what she wants." Cody said.

"And how to defeat her." T.K. added.

"Hey what're we all sitting around moping for?" Davis jumped to his feet. "If Gatomon's willing to fight with a ball of yarn then I am too!"

Yolei stood up as well. "Davis is right! It's time to fight!"

"I'm in!" Rika nodded and stood. Everyone else followed suit.

"Excuse me Izzy." Yolei pushed Izzy's swivel chair aside with the redhead still sitting in it.

"Hey!" Izzy complained. "What're you doing?"

"Ready guys?" Yolei called, taking out her D3. "Digi-port open!"

"No!" Izzy panicked. "My mom will be home any minute now!"

The door handle turned and suddenly Izzy's mom stepped in before Izzy could shout for the others to stop. "Who wants snacks?"

That last comment made them all freeze and turn to the woman, who they realized held a tray of food and drinks. "Donuts! All right!" Yolei cheered.

"Thank you Mrs. Izumi." The kids chimed in as they took the refreshments.

"You're very welcome." Mrs. Izumi nodded, watching amusedly as they devoured their food. "Wow what big appetites you all have! You'd think that none of you had ever seen food before. Um, Izzy? What happened to that friend of yours, Tento?"

The DigiDestined paused in their eating, very surprised that Mrs. Izumi seemed to know about Tentomon already. T.K. chuckled a little. "Uh, it's Tento_mon_."

"Tentomon then." Mrs. Izumi looked to her son.

Izzy fumbled over his words, chuckling nervously, as he tried to figure out what to say. Rika shook her head a little, but her thoughts remained elsewhere. Once the kids finished their snacks, she excused herself and journeyed outside. Kari and Gatomon exchanged a look and quickly followed.

"Hey Rika." Kari walked alongside her friend. "You okay?"

Rika sighed. "Kari, why do you guys talk about the 'forces of darkness' like it's a bad thing?"

Kari was about to give a seemingly obvious answer when she noticed Rika's tag and Crest resting on her chest. "Well, I guess we're usually referring to the enemies we faced like Devimon, Myotismon, and the Dark Masters. They tried to take over the Digital World for evil reasons."

"But you defeated all of them." Rika said. "And according to Izzy there was more 'darkness' to be defeated. Ken tried to control the powers of darkness; that Dark Pool seemed to cause so much negativity. Think back to when we were with that weird spire thing in Ken's base. Everyone else was troubled but it gave _me _strength and power. I'm able to absorb dark energy within myself. And check this out." She suddenly pulled Kari into an alleyway and held out her hands, palms up. After a few seconds of concentration, twin black flames appeared in Rika's palms, much to Kari's and Gatomon's shock. Rika extinguished the flames, staring at Kari. "I used to think this was just from me and Wizardmon being merged for so long. But when I think about it, I realize that I had similar powers before our merging." Rika stared at Kari. "What does this mean? The powers of these Crests chose us to be DigiDestined, so why did the Crest of Darkness choose _me _of all people?"

Kari stared at Rika. When the raven-haired girl entered the Digital World she wore that witch's outfit that gave her the potential to _look _evil. Now, the bespectacled preteen looked so scared, her dark lavender eyes staring almost pleadingly.

"I don't know." Kari said. "Our Crests chose us based on a dominant personality trait, like courage, reliability, love, sincerity, friendship, and knowledge. T.K.'s still applies, I guess; his is hope. You and I are a little different, Rika. We're darkness and light. I guess our Crests chose us because there is light within me…..and darkness in you….."

Rika sighed. "Yeah. I guess." She stared at her Crest. "Kari? Am I destined to be evil?"

"I can't answer that." Kari admitted. "It's something you have to figure out for yourself. But I _can _tell you with absolute certainty that you were destined to be our friend." She took Rika's hand. "To be _my _friend."

Rika looked up into Kari's kind-filled eyes and smiled softly. "Thank you Kari."


	14. The Insect Master's Trap

**Episode 28: The Insect Master's Trap**

"Whoever destroys the most Control Spires gets a date with me!" Davis announced. "By the way, Kari's the only one eligible."

"In that case we better stop working." Yolei laughed.

"_V Laser!"_ ExVeemon launched his signature attack and forced a Control Spire to burst into dust. The other Digimon used their own attacks to destroy the Control Spires in the desert area, their human partners cheering them on.

"Our turn Wizardmon!" Rika called.

"Ready when you are!" Wizardmon nodded.

Rika held out her palms and a glowing yellow and orange sphere appeared in each one_. "Thunder Ball!"_ She laughed as she threw the spheres of energy. They collided with a Control Spire and it turned to dust in seconds. Rika jumped and cheered. "Have I mentioned how _awesome _that is?"

"Only a thousand times." Wizardmon said with a smirk.

"Say it as many times as you want. That's so cool!" Yolei said.

They continued to destroy the Control Spires, determined to at least clear the desert before the end of the day. Because most of the DigiDestined still attended school, they only had the afternoon to go to the Digital World and wipe out Control Spires. Luckily, Rika and Wizardmon decided that since Rika didn't go to school anymore she could spend more time in the DigiWorld to get a head start on the Spire Smashing. It gave her plenty of time to practice channeling Wizardmon's attacks, and the Control Spires became perfect targets.

Once they finished for the day and the sun started getting lower and lower in the sky, the DigiDestined journeyed over to a nearby TV and opened the gate back into the school computer lab. They all ended up in a dog pile, as usual, but laughed it off and untangled themselves.

"Here you go." Cody dropped his armful of food on the floor to the Digimon. "Junk food from the vending machines. Candy bars, potato chips, and cheese crackers. Bon appétit!"

The Digimon thanked Cody and hurriedly dug into the food, munching away on the treats. "Hey save some for Wizardmon!" Rika giggled, swiping some of the food for her Digimon.

"He's still fed when he's in spirit form, right?" DemiVeemon grumbled, eyeing the unwrapped onigiri Rika took.

"Yes but that doesn't mean I get to taste it." Wizardmon shrugged.

DemiVeemon continued to grumble something about Rika being a sweets snatcher. Gatomon looked back and forth between Wizardmon and Rika. "Does being connected like this make anything hard? Like eating or drinking?"

"We've been like this for over four years." Rika shrugged. "We're used to it by now."

"Check this out!" Yolei called from the computer.

"What's up?" T.K. asked.

"Another Control Spire just went down in the Digital World." Yolei reported.

"Looks like Ken is working overtime." Davis looked to the Digimon. "Hey, guess who's ready for a second course?"

Upamon bounced over to DemiVeemon. "You never told us what it was like when you DNA digivolved with Wormmon."

"It was weird." DemiVeemon said. "I felt like an action star in one of those big movies!"

"Was it kind of like when you first digivolved from Rookie to Champion Digimon?" Poromon asked.

"No, bigger than that!" DemiVeemon corrected.

"The thing that would freak me out the most though would be to have two minds in one body." Gatomon said.

DemiVeemon thought for a moment. "It's strange. It didn't feel like two minds in the same body. It's more like our minds merged into one super being."

"Sounds weird to me." Patamon said. "You already have enough voices running around in your head."

"Yeah." Gatomon laughed. "If I merged with you I could get lost in there with the others."

"I was wondering how weird the DNA digivolve was for DemiVeemon." Davis said. "It was certainly strange for me."

"Well you two _are _connected." T.K. noted.

"Yeah!" Kari added. "Are you telling me that you and Ken were somehow connected too?"

"That's right! Pretty cool!" Davis put a hand on his chest. "I could even feel Ken's heart beating right along with mine!"

"I noticed something similar." Wizardmon added. "Davis's and Ken's Life Flames and auras became perfectly matched, similarly to how Rika's and mine match up because of our merge."

"It was kind of freaky to be honest!" Davis laughed.

"So you two were actually synchronized then!" Yolei determined.

"You mean like those goofy swimmers in the Olympics?" Davis plugged his nose for emphasis.

"No." Cody corrected. "She means that your hearts were beating at the exact same time, silly."

Davis chuckled nervously. "I knew that, Cody. I was just kidding."

"I'm telling you, just when we think we've got this whole Digivolution thing figured out something new pops up." Kari said. "But this is the craziest thing we've seen yet. Just think. If all the Digimon could digivolve together just imagine all the weird and crazy combinations." She closed her eyes in thought. "Let's see. If ExVeemon and Angemon combined they'd make one tough-winged Digimon, that's for sure." Kari opened her eyes and smiled, her imagination working into overdrive. "Or how about a Gatomon combo? I dare someone to try to put _that _cat out for the night. How about ExVeemon and Aquilamon? Or ExVeemon and Ankylomon."

Cody made a funny noise, as though to show discomfort towards the idea. "What?!" Davis snapped. "Are you implying that your Digimon is too good to DNA digivolve with mine?"

"That's not what I meant, Davis!" Cody snapped back. Despite standing much shorter than Davis the younger boy's voice came out strong. "I just think we need to think this through a little more before we get too far ahead of ourselves! So don't bite off my head! I'm trying to be safe."

"And I see it as a way to defeat that white-haired lady!" Davis snapped.

"I'm not so sure." Cody said. "It might be dangerous."

"You're so stubborn sometimes, Cody!" Davis growled.

"Are you two finished being macho?" Kari teased.

"I'd like to see a Wizardmon/Gatomon combo." T.K. said. "That'd be one killer cat wizard."

Gatomon and Wizardmon thought for a moment before sharing a look and nodding in agreement. "That _would _be interesting." Wizardmon said. "But we have no idea how DNA Digivolving would affect me and Rika given our situation."

"It's like the two of you already DNA Digivolved." T.K. said. "Wonder if that's possible for us and our Digimon."

"A human and Digimon DNA Digivolving?" Rika laughed. "That sounds so silly!"

"But you and Wizardmon did it." Davis protested.

"Izzy says DNA Digivolving is when the most powerful parts of two Digimon combine to make one powerful one." Rika noted. "Wizardmon and I didn't DNA Digivolve; our mental, physical, and spiritual entities combined into one."

Davis groaned. "Keeping track of your guys' situation is so hard. Okay, explain it to me again: what happened that caused you two to merge? Who did it and why?"

"Davis." Yolei hissed, whacking the boy upside the head. "That's not something we discuss. It's not necessarily polite."

"I'm just trying to figure things out." Davis shrugged. "I mean, Rika was the one who got hurt, and Wizardmon used some sort of magic trick to fuse them into one person. So does that mean Rika is really dead and she's just hosting Wizardmon's spirit like some sort of possessed—?"

"_Davis!" _Yolei stomped on the boy's foot, making him jump and down on his unwounded foot while holding the throbbing one.

Rika looked down, swinging her legs forwards and backwards. The other DigiDestined and their Digimon held a mix of reactions, with some glaring at or scolding Davis (who kept holding his hurt foot while hopping) and others staring worriedly at Rika.

That night, while Kari slept peacefully, Gatomon carefully snuck off the bunk bed jumped down to the floor, landing quietly on all fours. She padded over to the closet and slowly slid the door open, peering in at the sleeping Wizardmon on the futon. Biting her lower lip but pressing forward, Gatomon reached up and gently prodded the Digimon's chest. Wizardmon didn't move. Gatomon shook his shoulder, but he just groaned sleepily and rolled over to his stomach. The feline huffed quietly. _You asked for it. _She climbed up onto Wizardmon's back and up to his head. Then she took her claws and pressed them through his hair and into his skull, not enough to draw blood but causing plenty enough pain to wake him.

"Gatomon….." Wizardmon moaned groggily. "Has anyone ever told you that your claws are like knives?"

Gatomon smirked. "Well you didn't wake up the first two tries."

Wizardmon sighed, rolling over and sitting upright. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What is it, Gatomon?"

"Is Rika awake?" Gatomon asked.

"Nope; she's fast asleep." Wizardmon murmured. "Lucky Duckmon."

"Sorry to wake you." Gatomon said sincerely. "I just wanted to talk to you without Rika hearing. It's about your guys' merging together."

Wizardmon looked a little more awake now, staring at his feline friend. "What about it?"

"Well, I know the two of you exist spiritually." Gatomon said. "Given that one of you can still come as a ghost when the other is solid. But it seems like you two have to share one mind and physical body. Isn't it hard?"

Wizardmon thought for a moment. "I never really thought about it. We've been like this for so long, so it's become almost normal for us."

"Why'd you do it?" Gatomon asked.

"Rika's life was in danger." Wizardmon replied. "She wouldn't have survived if I didn't give my life to her."

"But isn't it a disadvantage?" Gatomon asked. "You can't eat normally, you can't attack or digivolve during the day, and it must get annoying, right?"

"Perhaps." Wizardmon nodded. "But if given the chance wouldn't you do the same for Kari?"

Gatomon looked towards her sleeping human partner and smiled. "Yes. I would." Wizardmon smiled and put a hand between Gatomon's ears, rubbing her head. Gatomon purred softly, but then her face shifted to a small frown. "Wizardmon? Who gave you the Crest of Darkness to give to Rika? Who attacked the two of you?"

Wizardmon tensed up, retracting his hand and sighing. "Gatomon, _please _don't ask me about that."

"But Wizardmon—"

"Please, my friend, don't ask me about it. It's just not something to be discussed."

Gatomon sighed, as though disappointed, and Wizardmon felt guilt gnawing at his stomach. Then the white feline climbed up and wrapped her arms around Wizardmon's neck, rubbing her head into the crook of his shoulder. Wizardmon hesitated before bringing his arms up and holding her close, sighing again. The two of them remained like that for a while in complete silence, taking in one another's comfort.

* * *

><p>"So Rika, what do you think of school?" Kari asked. "You miss it at all?"<p>

Rika stuck her tongue out. "Not even one, itty bitty, teeny tiny bit."

"Told ya she wouldn't like it." Davis said.

"It's just a trial run." T.K. said. "You came with Kari as a guest, not a student."

"Yeah well the trial run ran the way it did and I say I still hate school." Rika said. "My time with Wizardmon in the Digital World was more educational than _anything _you could learn here."

"I guess it would be a little hard to enroll you anyway." T.K. admitted. "The school might want to meet your parents and that's not even possible."

"And my parents can't meet with you because they don't even know you live with us." Kari added.

"It's okay." Rika assured. "If most of Japan thinks I'm dead, let's keep it that way."

"Why?" Davis asked.

"What if they find out I'm alive and put me in an orphanage?" Rika asked. "That's going to make it a little hard for us to go to the Digital World together. Not to mention the freak out fest that will happen when they discover Wizardmon."

"If you say so." T.K. said.

Davis blinked in surprise when his D-terminal beeped. T.K's and Kari's did too and they all opened them up. "You know, I'm thinking I need to get a cell phone or something so we can keep in touch." Rika said. "I don't have a D-terminal."

"We'll put that on the list of things to do later." Kari said.

"Look, it's an email from that spooky woman." Davis said. "'Dear DigiDestined, We need to talk about the debt you owe me for destroying my property. Meet me at the Giga House.'"

"Destroying her property?" Rika scoffed. "We were doing her a favor."

"This is the perfect chance to catch her!" Davis broke into a run, his friends close behind.

"You know it's a trap!" Kari noted. "Why are we going?"

"We're going to have to face her sooner or later, Kari!" T.K. reasoned. "At least this way it won't be a big surprise!"

"Hurry!" Davis urged. "We don't have much time!" They made a sharp left turn into the computer lab and discovered Yolei and Cody already there with their Digimon.

"Digi-port open!" Yolei turned to her friends when the gate opened. "Okay, we're all set. Now we all agree if it's too dangerous we just turn back?"

"Let's go!" Davis said enthusiastically.

"Nothing's too dangerous for us." Rika assured. "If things get hairy we have each other's backs."

"I have a bad feeling about this guys." Yolei groaned, but held her Digivice to the portal. The rest of them followed suit, and soon they became sucked into the computer and whisked away to the Digital World. Upon arriving, Yolei managed to find the Giga House location on her D-terminal and they quickly made their way to it. Once they reached their destination, it soon became clear why it earned the name Giga House: though it looked like a normal suburban household it most likely stood higher than most of the skyscrapers in Tokyo.

"Now that is one big yellow house." Kari said.

"My question: who is the big person that lives in it?" Yolei wondered.

"This is Giga House?" Davis breathed.

"It's huge and spacious!" Veemon breathed.

"It must be two hundred feet tall." Armadillomon guessed. "It's amazing!"

"No kidding." Cody agreed.

"Could you imagine having to mow this lawn?" Kari laughed.

"Or how about washing those windows?" T.K. added. "You'd need a helicopter to get up there."

"I wouldn't want to have to fix that roof." Rika said.

"Why do you think that lady called us here?" Yolei asked. "Is she gonna attack us with a team of basketball players?"

"I don't know, but keep your eyes open." Davis warned. "Let's look for a way in."

"Hey guys!"

They all spun around to see a familiar raven-haired boy and his insect Digimon coming up behind them. "So you guys got the email too." Ken guessed.

"Hey!" Davis called, looking very happy to see Ken.

Veemon hurriedly jogged up to them. "You guys come for the house party?"

"Some house party, Veemon." Ken said wryly. "Too bad the hostess wants to make piñatas out of her guests. This is a setup."

"We figured that too." Kari said. "I guess Ms. Congeniality wants to eliminate all her enemies in one swoop."

"That's why I think it's a bad idea for you guys to go in." Ken said. "You should just go home."

"That's crazy!" Davis protested. "Are you planning on going in there by yourself? That makes no sense! She'll eat you for lunch!"

"Ken has a point." Yolei said. "We have to do something. We can't just sit here. This might be our best chance to stop her."

"Then why are we just standing around?" Rika demanded. "I'm getting antsy."

"I have an idea." T.K. said. "How about a few of us go in to scope things out? This way if it's a trap the rest of us can bust in and help. Davis, since you and Ken are so fired up to go in there why don't you guys go first?"

"Count on me too." Cody said.

"And me." Rika added. "With my and Wizardmon's aura reading capabilities, we'll be able to sense when danger is near, especially if that crazy white-haired lady is in there."

"Great idea!" Davis said. "Glad I thought of it!" Rika and Cody simultaneously groaned audibly.

"We'll be right out here. If things get too crazy just signal us and we'll come to the rescue, okay?" T.K. instructed.

"I still think it's a better idea if I go in there alone, guys." Ken said.

"Not a chance, Ken!" Davis insisted. "We're DNA Digivolve partners! We should really be together on this. Think about it: if things get hectic in there, you really need me."

Rika whacked Davis upside the head. "Not the best choice of reasoning." She smiled to Ken. "We're your friends now Ken. Whether you like it or not, we're going to be there for you."

"Cool your jets guys or you're gonna end up fighting each other in there." Yolei said.

"That's why I'm going along too." Cody said.

"Let's go!" Davis urged. "Come on guys, follow me!" He, Cody, Ken, and Rika took off running for the Giga House, Wormmon, Armadillomon, and Veemon close behind. "Last one in is a rotten Digi-Egg!" Davis laughed.

"I would hate to be a rotten Digi-Egg." Wormmon groaned a little. They continued to run until they finally reached the front step. That's when they realized just how massive the house stood; the front step alone reached several feet above their heads.

"Whoa!" Davis breathed, staring up at the ginormous door.

"How are we supposed to get in there anyway?" Ken asked.

"Maybe we should look under the doormat." Davis joked. "Maybe there's a forty foot key!"

"Think again, Davis. If that's even possible for your tiny brain." Rika sighed in irritation. She scrutinized the entirety of the home from where she stood before she found something. "We'll enter in that way; I can see a faucet which means there's either a kitchen or bathroom sink there. It's safer and we can easily open the window." She took off running, the boys close behind.

"And how exactly are we supposed to get up there?" Cody asked.

"There's a basket of flowers and a small table. The house is made of bricks." Rika reasoned. "We'll climb."

"But we don't have any climbing gear." Davis protested.

"We'll free style it then." Rika said.

"I'm not so sure about this." Davis said. "Let's find another way."

"There is no other way." Rika snapped. "Don't argue with me."

Davis grumbled something under his breath, but the boys stayed close to Rika as they maneuvered through the tall grass and up a shrub to the deck below the window. Rika climbed and ran much faster than the rest of them, so when Davis called for her to slow down she rolled her eyes and waited somewhat impatiently as the boys panted heavily.

"How…..do you…run and climb…so fast?" Ken groaned.

"When you live in the DigiWorld as long as I have, you learn a lot." Rika said. "In many cases, it's survival of the fittest."

Davis groaned as he stared at the height to the window. "Tell me we don't have to climb that."

"Though a talented liar, I do prefer honesty with my friends." Rika said. "Just come on. The grooves in the bricks will give us plenty of footholds. Think of it as rock climbing only without the safety harness and ropes."

Wizardmon groaned. "I don't think that's helpful."

"Come on!" Rika urged, already starting the climb. "You want to beat that white-haired lady or not?"

The boys exchanged looks and groaned, but followed Rika as they scaled the bricks to reach the window. Wizardmon, able to fly but unable to carry anybody, drifted around and helped them find footholds to better climb. It took several minutes of climbing before reaching the window, and the combined effort of all seven of them to push the window open. Once getting inside, they discovered an enormous kitchen, like a typical one found in any normal home, only everything was huge.

"Maybe that strange lady will try to destroy us with a giant, super evil, Digi-pizza!" Davis joked.

"Not now Davis." Rika groaned.

"Let's just hope that woman doesn't use us as the toppings." Veemon said. "I'm very allergic to anchovies."

"It reminds me of this book called _Gulliver's Travels_." Davis said. "It's about this kid who sells an old cow for some magic beans and ends up fighting this giant."

"That's _Jack and the Beanstalk_, silly!" Cody corrected.

"Huh?" Davis laughed nervously again. "I knew that, dude! I was just joking!"

"You guys are classic." Ken smirked as he jumped from the windowsill down to the counter. "You two fight just like an old married couple."

"Could be worse." Rika shrugged. "They could be an _actual _old married couple." She looked to her Digimon. "Hey Wizardmon, what can you tell us about this strange woman's location?"

Wizardmon closed his eyes in concentration. "She's deeper within the house….but there's something else we need to worry about."

"What's that?" Armadillomon asked.

"I'm sensing tens, maybe hundreds of auras around us." Wizardmon said. "We're definitely not alone here." They all jumped at the sound of squeaking and whipped around to look. But the kitchen seemed empty.

"Did you guys hear something?" Davis asked.

"Maybe it was your imagination." Cody suggested hopefully.

"No, I heard it too." Ken confirmed.

The squeaking continued. "We're not alone here." Veemon said.

"Sounds like clicking." Armadillomon said.

"It's coming from that vent over the stove." Wormmon pointed out.

Everyone looked up to said vent, and not two seconds later a small swarm of roach-like Digimon dropped down. Another swarm of them came up from the sink drain. "Ew! Yuck!" Davis grimaced.

"It's an army of Gokimon!" Veemon realized. "There's nothing like an infestation of killer bugs to ruin the charm of a sweet little cottage!"

"Less talking more slicing!" Rika ordered, drawing her sword. She turned as a Gokimon lunged for her and performed a perfect front kick that sent the roach Digimon flying.

"You guys better digivolve!" Cody told Veemon, Armadillomon, and Wormmon.

"Yeah let's do it!" Veemon cheered.

"_Veemon digivolve to…ExVeemon!"_

"_Wormmon digivolve to….Stingmon!"_

"_Armadillomon digivolve to…..Ankylomon!"_

"I hate roaches!" ExVeemon stomped on and punched the Gokimon aside. Stingmon, with Ken and Rika on his shoulders, skillfully kicked other Gokimon to the floor. Ankylomon swung his mace-like tail around like a golf club, knocking aside Gokimon and sending them flying. Davis jumped when a Gokimon tackled him, but planted his foot in the roach's stomach and sent the bug tumbling to the ground. From her perch on Stingmon, Rika sent Wizardmon's attacks at any Gokimon trying to sneak up on them.

"I'm getting worn out here!" ExVeemon panted.

"There's too many of them!" Ankylomon confirmed. "Every time I knock one down two more pop up in its place!"

"We need more fire power!" ExVeemon turned to Davis, then Stingmon on the ground below.

"You heard him Ken!" Davis called. "We need to DNA digivolve or we're gonna be bug food in a matter of minutes!"

"I think he's right about this one, Ken. We're overmatched here!" Stingmon said.

"Ken, are you listening to me?" Davis shouted.

Ken jolted a little, as though roughly brought back from his thoughts. Rika noticed and frowned a little. "Davis, we can't go to extremes just yet! We need to save that kind of firepower for that crazy white-haired lady!"

"I can't do this by myself!" Davis called. "Hear me?"

"No, wait!" Cody ordered. "There's something weird about those bugs. Take a look for yourself. Do you see any Dark Spirals or Black Gears on _any _of them?"

"Aren't they made from Control Spires?" Davis asked.

"They're real, live Digimon." Wizardmon said. "Life Flames and everything."

"Maybe she created them from scratch." Ken suggested.

"Huh? She cooks too?" Davis blinked. "Go figure."

"It's time we realized we're outnumbered." Cody said.

"Got to go, boys!" Ankylomon swiped a Gokimon aside and turned to run.

ExVeemon picked up Cody and Davis. "Let's get out of here and pronto!" Davis urged. ExVeemon jumped down to the floor, crushing a few Gokimon in the process.

"Follow me!" ExVeemon urged.

"I'm right behind you!" Stingmon assured as he flew after the blue dragon.

"We gotta call the others!" Rika called.

"No time!" Davis said. "Let's just get out of here!"

ExVeemon noticed the Gokimon still coming and spotted a spray hose, instantly giving him an idea. "You boys stink! How about a little shower?" He sprayed water towards the Gokimon, washing them away and down the drain. "Don't forget to wash behind your ears!"

"Those guys give me the willies." Ankylomon shuddered a little.

"Nice work, ExVeemon!" Davis complimented. "That'll show those creeps!"

"Something tells me we're not out of hot water yet, guys." Stingmon warned as a new sound reached their ears. Across the room stood a washing machine, and soon several new bug Digimon dropped down onto it and looking ready for battle.

"This place has more bugs in it than a second-hand computer!" Davis groaned.

"Those are Kunemon." Armadillomon said. "They're small but pack quite a wallop with their Electric Thread attack."

Stingmon flew up and lunged for them. "You creeps give bugs a bad name!"

"Stingmon watch out!" Rika warned, but too late. The Kunemon launched their Electric Thread attack right for them and electrocuted Stingmon, forcing him to touch down on the washer. More Kunemon came from behind and zapped Rika and Ken, causing them to fall off. Rika nearly rolled right off the washer had she not grabbed the edge while Ken and Stingmon fell into the waters of the dishwasher. Rika didn't dare look down, but she did look over to her right to see the shapes of a great red bird and two other smaller flying creatures coming. _It's the others! And it looks like they're in trouble! _She looked up just in time to see Cody and Submarimon drill into the side of the washer. _Those guys can take care of themselves. _She pulled out her sword and used the blunt side of the blade to knock aside some Kunemon coming at her. Then she sheathed her sword and checked again to see how close her friends flew.

"Hey Yolei!" Rika shouted. "Catch me!" She lifted her legs and pushed her feet to the washer so she rested in a crouching position before pushing off the washer. She flew high into the air, flipping and turning a few times, and Aquilamon shot up to allow her to land on his back behind Yolei.

"Nice of you to drop in!" Yolei greeted.

"Nice of you to bring some friends!" Rika said, staring at the Flymon chasing them. She jumped as Aquilamon flapped his wings to deflect the bug Digimon's stingers.

"There's too many of those things!" T.K. called. "We have to find the others!"

"But where are they?" Kari asked.

"They were just there in the kitchen but it looks like they disappeared!" Rika called back. "And the Flymon are still coming!"

"I think we should split up and search for them!" Yolei suggested.

"Good idea!" Kari agreed.

"We'll see you in a few!" Yolei called. She, Aquilamon, and Rika took a right while T.K., Kari, Pegasusmon, and Nefertimon took a left. The Flymon swarm that flew after them split into two groups to follow each set of DigiDestined. "Hey uglies!" Yolei taunted. "This way!" The Flymon buzzed angrily as they followed. "Uh oh! I think I made them really mad now!"

"Leave it to me!" Rika assured. "Wizardmon, Magical Game!"

"Right!" Wizardmon nodded. Rika carefully stood up on Aquilamon's back and pointed her sword towards the Flymon. Blue lightning shot from the blade, scattering the Flymon and paralyzing a couple of them.

"Nice shot!" Yolei complimented.

"Thanks!" Rika smiled. She yelped and sat back down when another stinger from Flymon shot past her head. "Aquilamon, fly faster!"

"I'm flying as fast as I can!" Aquilamon said. He noticed a flurry of stingers coming again and deflected them.

"We better find the others soon!" Yolei gulped. "Their aim is getting better!"

"Wizardmon, can you pick up anyone's auras?" Rika asked.

"I can't!" Wizardmon said. "There are so many bug Digimon in this house it's hard to pinpoint any specific aura."

"Oh great." Rika groaned. Aquilamon shot upwards, the Flymon close behind. But when the bird reached the vent in the ceiling he made a hairpin turn the Flymon couldn't do, causing the bugs to crash.

"Go Aquilamon!" Yolei cheered.

"Hey, did you hear music?" Rika asked.

"I thought I heard a flute." Yolei confirmed.

"That's weird." Rika murmured. "What the heck is going on here?"

"I don't know but if we don't figure it out soon we're really in trouble!" Yolei said.

Rika growled and stood up again, readying her sword. Wizardmon prepared more attacks for her to use. _You realize how much trouble we're in right now?_

_Yeah, I know. _Rika assured.

_What're we going to do? _Wizardmon half-demanded.

Rika continued to glare at the Flymon. _I don't know._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Rika laughing at the idea of a human and Digimon DNA Digivolving is totally a reference to the third season, Digimon Tamers. However, if I haven't mentioned this before I will now, my OC Rika isn't related to the Rika in Tamers. You'll see why in later chapters.**


	15. Arukenimon's Tangled Web

**Episode 29: Arukenimon's Tangled Web**

"Watch out!" Yolei yelped. She gripped Aquilamon's feathers tightly as he took a nose dive to avoid more Flymon. Rika yelped too and wrapped her arms around Yolei's stomach, almost squeezing the life out of her.

"I am _really _tired of those bugs!" Rika growled. "Wizardmon, get me a Magical Game attack."

"You're getting tired." Wizardmon protested, his ghostly form flying beside the girls. "I can feel it; your energy is getting low."

"Is not." Rika protested.

"Why must you always argue with me?" Wizardmon snapped.

"Rika, you're panting right in my ear and it's covered by my hat." Yolei said. "Wizardmon's right, you need to take a break."

Rika groaned. "Then what do we do about these Flymon? And how do we find the others?"

Yolei's D-terminal suddenly beeped and she hurriedly answered it. "Uh oh. Cody, Ken, and Davis are in trouble. Something about them stuck in a spider web."

"I'd like to hope that's not a literal web, but who knows in a house like this?" Rika groaned.

"I wanna help but I'm sort of busy right now!" Yolei groaned worriedly.

"Flymon on both sides!" Wizardmon warned.

"Oh not again!" Rika growled in frustration.

"Hang on!" Aquilamon warned. "It's time we rise to the occasion!" He flapped his powerful wings and they shot up into the air, causing the Flymon to clash into one another.

"Good work!" Yolei complimented. But Aquilamon soon became forced into flying away again as even more Flymon came after them. Yolei typed away on her D-terminal. "Sorry…..my hands are full….."

"We have to find the others!" Wizardmon urged.

"I know, but I'm not getting their signals on my D3!" Yolei said. "Are you sure you can't track their auras or something?"

"If Rika could meditate, I could fly around the house and look for them." Wizardmon said. "But that runs too much of a risk of her falling off Aquilamon."

Rika looked back towards the Flymon and she narrowed her eyes. "Aquilamon! Fly up and back flip!"

"What?" Aquilamon asked in surprise.

"Just do it!" Rika ordered.

Aquilamon seemed unsure, but did what she asked and flew straight up into the air. Yolei's grip tightened as he went upside down, but Rika slipped off and dived down towards the Flymon that now flew right below them. Flawless timing; Rika landed right onto the back of one of the Flymon and grabbed the bug Digimon's antennae. She yanked them towards her, forcing the Flymon to fly up. Using the bug's antennae like reins, Rika steered the wasp-like Digimon towards his kin and caused them to scatter.

"She's crazy." Yolei breathed.

"Now you know how I feel." Wizardmon sighed. He shot over and disappeared into his human partner. _Rika. I think I can give you one more Thunder Ball if you can handle it._

"Thanks Wizardmon." Rika nodded. She yelped as the Flymon bucked a bit, trying to force her off. But she held tight and jerked the bug in several different directions. It took a lot of forceful tugging for her to steer the Flymon towards a large swarm heading for Yolei and Aquilamon. "Okay! Now, Wizardmon! _Thunder Ball!_" She threw the blast at the swarm and the Flymon scattered and hit the ground. Rika slammed her fist into the skull of the Flymon she rode and then leaped off it as it fell. The preteen spread her arms and performed a perfect backflip that would've made any gymnast jealous. Aquilamon quickly flew up and the raven-haired girl landed right behind Yolei.

"That was so cool!" Yolei complimented.

Rika took a breath. "Thanks. But I think the fatigue is starting to set in. I don't think I'll be able to throw any more of Wizardmon's attacks."

"That's because you always push yourself too far." Wizardmon said as he appeared. "And I still sense more Flymon coming at us." As if on cue, several Flymon shot around the corner and forced Aquilamon to make a hairpin turn and go the other way.

"We have to find the others and get out of here." Aquilamon said. "We can't keep this up; sooner or later I'll run out of energy and dedigivolve."

"Try and call them." Rika suggested.

Yolei nodded and pulled out her D-terminal. But before she could even start her message, a new one came in for her to read. "Hey, it's from Davis." She stared at her D-terminal in surprise. "They want me to _what_?"

"What is it?" Rika asked.

"Well, it's true. That's my specialty." Yolei said to herself, not seeming to hear Rika. "But how am I supposed to figure it out without a computer?"

"You can do it, Yolei!" Aquilamon encouraged.

"Figure what out?" Rika asked, louder this time.

"I'll explain in a minute!" Yolei answered, calling Kari through her D-terminal. "Hey Kari! Strange question: what are the odds there's a computer within a ten mile radius of here?"

"_There's a computer right here in the office." _Kari answered.

"Do I hear Snimon in the background?" Rika asked.

"_Seriously, how do you know that?" _Kari asked incredulously.

"Hello? Four-plus years in the Digital World!" Rika rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to reiterate that?"

"Okay." Yolei took out her D3. "I'm beginning to get a signal. They're real close. There they are! Make your first left!"

"Right!" Aquilamon nodded.

"No, left!" Yolei corrected.

Aquilamon rolled his eyes a little. "Roger! Hang on!" He noticed two holes in the wall, leading straight to Kari, T.K., Pegasusmon, and Nefertimon, and the large bird dived down towards them. "Don't go in through the 'out' door!" He laughed as the Flymon hurried to fly after him. But the bugs clearly did not understand how to take turns, as they soon became very much stuck in the holes.

"There are the Snimon!" Rika pointed. "T.K. and Kari must be there!" Suddenly, the books the Snimon slashed at moved and forced the praying mantis Digimon to the floor, revealing the DigiDestined of Light and Hope on the bookshelf.

"Over to the computer!" Wizardmon urged. "Quickly!"

"You can do it, Yolei!" Aquilamon encouraged, flying right over the keyboard. "One, two, three!"

On "three," Yolei jumped off her Digimon and landed perfectly on the power button, turning the computer on. "Perfecto!" Yolei cheered for herself.

"Way to go Yolei!" Rika cheered as she leaped down.

"Okay guys, we got work to do!" Yolei called. "Aquilamon, dedigivolve to Hawkmon and I'll have you Armor Digivolve to Shurimon. Pegasusmon and Nefertimon, take those books and create a barrier in case those Snimon and Flymon come back. The rest of you with me! We have to get the music software up on this computer." Everyone nodded and quickly ran to obey Yolei's orders.

"So what's the plan again?" Rika asked.

"Davis emailed me and said that strange woman is playing a flute that's controlling the bug Digimon, including Stingmon and Digmon." Yolei explained. "He wants me to find a way to make a mix for the music to alter the sound and return all the bug Digimon to normal."

"You can do that?" T.K. asked.

"I do this stuff all the time. I'm a professional." Yolei confirmed.

"Is that true?" Kari asked.

"Sure." Yolei nodded. "My older sister's in the drama club at school and I'm the one that does the sound for all of the shows. But that's not all; I've also helped Izzy do the mixing for Matt's band, the Teenage Wolves. We were the best, because they sounded totally cool after we got through with them."

"Oh wow!" T.K. smiled. "I wondered why Matt's band sounded so good lately. Matt said it was because he was such a great musician! Wait until I tell him I know his secret weapon is Yolei!"

"Guys, the Snimon are back!" Rika warned.

They didn't need to worry; Shurimon made quick work of the large green bugs and kept everyone safe. "Listen up! We don't have any time to waste on idle chit-chat."

"We have to hurry!" Pegasusmon and Nefertimon agreed.

"Oh yeah." Yolei chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry!" The music software finally popped up, and Yolei turned to T.K. "First, I need for you to hook up the microphone cable to the computer. Shurimon, I'm counting on you to protect T.K.'s back."

"I'll protect the rest of him as well." Shurimon nodded. "Come on, T.K., let's go!"

"Right!" T.K. nodded as he and Shurimon hurried off.

"The mouse is too big for me to push alone." Yolei told Kari. "Do you think you could help me, Kari?"

"Sure!" Kari nodded.

"What do I do?" Rika asked.

"Your job is one of the most important jobs." Yolei said. "Stand by the speakers and listen for the music when T.K. starts recording it. Then see if you can match those notes on your violin and we'll use the sound for the mix."

"Got it." Rika ran off, unhooking her violin case from her back.

Yolei and Kari ran to the mouse. "On my count, let's push." Together, they pushed and clicked the mouse to everything Yolei needed, the purple-haired teen's brain in overdrive as she worked. "Hey T.K.! All plugged in?"

"All plugged!" T.K. called from behind the computer.

"Rika, you ready to listen?" Yolei asked.

"My ears are open and my violin ready!" Rika confirmed.

"Hold up!" Yolei stopped pushing the mouse. "Now all we have to do is record that sound." She clicked the mouse on the record button.

Rika wrinkled her nose. "Aw man. This is _not _going to sound nice on a violin."

"It doesn't have to." Yolei assured, taking a cord and climbing to the top of the computer. She wrapped the cord around her waist and carefully climbed down like a rock climber, her feet pressed against the computer screen to walk on it. "Stop recording, Kari! We'll take this section to here! You got all that?"

"I got it!" Kari nodded. She gathered her strength and pushed the mouse across its pad, taking out the section Yolei requested.

Yolei nodded in approval and leaped down, running to Kari. "We'll delete the section that we don't need and we'll save the part that's left as a sound file. We'll copy and paste the original onto multiple tracks and use special affects to distort the sound bites and couple it with Rika's violin. All you do is press play."

Kari stared, blinking in confusion. "Um, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sorry about that." Yolei giggled. "Hey! It'll work! Just trust me! Rika! Start practicing and we'll record your violin!"

"Okay, but this is really a flute or wind instrument only song!" Rika warned, playing a couple notes on her violin. Yolei and Kari continued to work on distorting the sound from the original track. Meanwhile, the Snimon started coming to their senses and the Flymon managed to get themselves unstuck and come in one at a time through the holes in the wall. Rika finally got the notes right and Yolei recorded her playing. A few more clicks, drags, and drops and everything was ready.

"Play that funky music! Now girl!" Yolei ordered.

"Name that tune!" Kari pressed the 'play' button, and a strange mix of sounds came from the computer speakers. It sounded like a mix of bat screeches, violins, high whistles, winds, and the original song the strange woman played on her flute. They all turned to the Flymon and Snimon, preparing for a fight and anxiously waiting to see the counter song's affect. Then, the Flymon and Snimon paused, shaking their heads as though just waking up. They exchanged looks, muttering words of confusion, before turning and leaving the room.

"I'm so cool!" Yolei cheered for herself.

"And this is why I carry this thing around." Rika smiled as she stowed her violin away and slung the case over her shoulder.

"So you can create counter songs for a strange woman's bug enchanting flute?" Wizardmon guessed half-sarcastically.

"With how our lives are now, that actually sounds pretty normal." Rika shrugged.

"Nice job everyone!" T.K. congratulated. "Let's find the others!"

"Now that the bug Digimon are gone maybe Wizardmon can track their auras." Shurimon suggested.

"Considering that's the only thing I'm good for nowadays." Wizardmon groaned.

"Remind me to rant and rave about your usefulness later." Rika urged. "We have to find those guys quickly."

Wizardmon sighed. "All right, give me a second." He closed his eyes in concentration. "Good news: they're not too far from us. Bad news: that strange woman is with them." His eyes suddenly shot open, his irises constricting.

"What is it?" Nefertimon asked.

"The woman's aura…it's getting stronger….." Wizardmon gasped. "She's not even human; she's a Digimon, and a powerful one at that."

"Not good." Rika groaned. "Let's go!"

The kids mounted their respective Digimon, Rika jumping onto Nefertimon with Kari. They shot out of the study and down the hall, following Wizardmon's directions. Suddenly, ExVeemon, Stingmon, and Digmon burst through a door and hit the ground several feet ahead of them. Another Digimon came out after them, with the body and legs of a spider, the upper half of a human (only with more demonic arms), and horns sprouting from her white hair. Her coloring matched the clothes the strange white-haired woman wore. They knew at once it had to be the strange woman from before, and Wizardmon was right: she was a Digimon.

"Just what we need." Kari groaned. "A new enemy."

"Let's squash this one like a bug!" T.K. suggested.

"_Cat's Eye Beam!" _Nefertimon threw the first blow, but narrowly missed the spider Digimon.

"_Aqueous Beam!"_ Pegasusmon went next, but he too missed. The spider Digimon scaled the wall and leaped towards the two attackers, but Shurimon moved in and threw the large shuriken on his back. However, the spider Digimon leaped off the shuriken and stuck to the ceiling, ready to fight. Pegasusmon and Nefertimon dropped off their passengers on the ground before moving in to fight again.

"What is that thing?" T.K. asked.

"That's the white-haired lady!" Cody replied as the DigiDestined gathered. "But she's really a Digimon named Arukenimon!"

Everyone suddenly looked to Rika, who blinked in surprise. "What're you looking at _me _for?"

"You seem to know the most about different Digimon." Ken replied. "What can you tell us about her?"

Rika stared at Arukenimon. "I'm sorry guys but I can't help you now."

"What?" Cody gasped. "But I thought you knew everything about any Digimon!"

"I've traveled all over the Digital World and met every kind of Digimon that exists." Rika said. "But I've never met an Arukenimon before!"

"_Acid Mist!"_ Arukenimon spewed green smoke from her mouth, hitting Pegasusmon and Nefertimon and forcing them to slow down as they flew. _"Spider Thread!" _Arukenimon threw multiple whip-like projectiles from the gems on her hands, smacking the two flying Digimon to the ground.

"Time to exterminate!" Davis called. "Ready, Ken?"

"Let's do it!" Ken confirmed.

"_ExVeemon…Stingmon…DNA Digivolve to….Paildramon!"_

"You're wasting your time, boys." Arukenimon taunted. "You're just crawling deeper into my web!"

Paildramon shot up towards Arukenimon, but she met him halfway and kicked him aside, right through a rice paper door and to the ground. Arukenimon jumped through the hole to continue the fight, the DigiDestined close behind to watch the battle. Paildramon leaped up with a Sting Strike that sent the spider Digimon flying into a waste basket.

"You put her right where she belongs!" Davis cheered.

"Way to go!" Ken chimed in.

Arukenimon soon leaped out of the trash and continued her fight with Paildramon. Attacks flew back and forth, but it soon became clear that Paildramon had the upper hand. Arukenimon stayed relentless, keeping the fight going against the Digimon hybrid.

"Let's take her down now." Digmon suggested.

"We're ready." Nefertimon nodded.

"Let's trap her in the dining room." Yolei suggested. "We need everybody's help. Davis, Ken! Listen up! All right, here's the deal. We're going on ahead. I want you to try and lead Arukenimon into the dining room, okay?"

"We'll make her go." Ken agreed.

"We got it covered." Davis nodded.

Paildramon lifted Arukenimon high into the air and threw her down onto a table, where she landed face-first. "Give up?" He asked as he landed.

"Never!" Arukenimon growled. She lunged for Paildramon but he flew out of harm's way, much to Arukenimon's anger.

"Hey! Get over here!" Davis called. "We got a change of plans!"

"Follow us Paildramon!" Ken echoed.

"I'm with you!" Paildramon nodded, flying after the two trainers.

In the dining room, Cody peered around the corner and gasped in surprise when he saw Paildramon running at breakneck speed right for him. Arukenimon scurried close behind. "Here they come!" Cody warned as he jumped away to safety. Paildramon rounded the corner. Arukenimon followed but skidded to a halt and gasped in surprise.

"Surprised ya!" Yolei laughed. "How about a little salt bath?" She and Shurimon shook their salt shakers, dousing their enemy in the powdery condiment.

"Every spider's favorite!" Shurimon laughed.

Arukenimon fell off the wall she scaled and tried to scurry away, only to run into Digmon on a can of bug spray. "Some o-de-la bug spray, Madame?" Digmon laughed as he sprayed the spider Digimon. Arukenimon cried out in pain and ran off, wobbling a little as she did.

"How's her hair?" T.K. asked Kari.

"It needs some work." Kari replied. They spurred their Digimon forward, each child holding the snipped end of an electrical cord, and pushed the wires onto Arukenimon. Had they been to scale, the small wires wouldn't have caused the major electrocution dealt onto the spider. She stumbled backwards, her body jolting into spasms a couple times.

"Rika! Wizardmon! Do it!" T.K. called.

Rika ran forward and leaped high into the air, readying her sword. _"Magical Game!"_ She thrust the blade forward and sent a blue lightning bolt that sent Arukenimon tumbling.

"Now it's your turn!" Davis called to his and Ken's Digimon.

"Get her Paildramon!" Ken ordered.

Paildramon shot down towards the spider woman. _"Desperado Blaster!"_ In a barrage of attacks, Arukenimon groaned in pain and finally fell to the ground, too weak to move. The DigiDestined gathered together, congratulating one another on the success.

"We want an explanation!" Davis shouted at Arukenimon.

"Yeah, what did the DigiDestined ever do to you?" Yolei demanded.

"Yeah!" T.K. chimed in. "And why do you want to destroy the Digital World?"

"Tell us now!" Ken ordered.

Arukenimon smirked evilly. "Oh give me a break. That's a ridiculous question."

"Why's that?" Paildramon demanded.

"Why do I want to destroy it?" Arukenimon laughed. "It's what I live for you miserable excuse for a Digimon."

"How come you've changed several Control Spires into Digimon?" Kari demanded.

"Please, that's another preposterous question." Arukenimon scoffed. "You don't even have any idea what the Control Spires are for so it would be a big waste of time to try to explain it to you."

"She's not talking." Nefertimon sighed. "Any ideas? Doesn't look like she wants to apologize."

"You're right." Paildramon said. "If she gets away she'll just continue to destroy the Digital World."

"What should we do with her?" Cody asked.

"We'll make her talk." Rika said in a dark tone, readying her sword.

"Rika, that's not going to help us." Ken protested. "Let me take care of her. It's the very least I could do for you guys after all the damage that I've done."

"There's no 'I' in 'team'." T.K. argued. "We should find a place where we can put her that's secure and then make sure she's locked up tight so she can't escape."

"You fools!" Arukenimon snapped. "There isn't any place around that's strong enough to hold me!" She stood up fully, raising her arms to attack. "See?"

"Out of the way!" Paildramon warned.

"_Spider Thread!"_ Arukenimon threw those same red ropes, but suddenly Rika appeared and slashed through them before they could touch Paildramon.

"Is that all you can do?" Paildramon taunted.

Arukenimon stared in shock, but then the shock turned to anger and she prepared to fight. Paildramon stood ready. "Two words: anger management."

"Arukenimon!" Rika's voice came out stronger and darker. "You better start thinking about how valuable you are to us. Because if you don't start talking, you're next to useless." She twirled her blade, preparing to fight. "Which also means you're expendable."

The DigiDestined gave a collective, soft gasp in shock. "Rika, hollow threats are not going to help us here!" Ken snapped, but his voice came out a little weaker from the shock.

"I don't give hollow threats." Rika said, seriousness deep in her tone.

Ken stared in shock. _I was right. She _has _changed. I know she has the Crest of Darkness but I never imagined she'd go so far as to mercilessly kill._

"She wouldn't really kill a Digimon like that, would she?" Yolei whispered.

Arukenimon seemed unfazed, readying for another round of fighting. "If you're still looking for a fight then bring it on!" Paildramon challenged.

"Then what? You'll take on _two _Ultimates?"

Everyone turned to a nearby chair, where a tall man with a cane, gray gloves, long blue trench coat and blue hat stood and stared down at them. Even with his collar up over his mouth, they could tell he smirked evilly.

"Who are you?" Paildramon asked.

"Just think of me as a well-wrapped present!" the man snickered. Before their very eyes he morphed and changed until he stood in the form of a mummified human Digimon with a gun on his hip and a twisted grin that seemed to be missing a few teeth.

"Another Digimon?" Ken gasped.

"I thought we could spend some quality time together, my dear." The new Digimon told Arukenimon.

"Yes, Mummymon!" Arukenimon seemed relieved.

"Mummymon?" Davis asked incredulously.

"Yes, and I'll let you in on a little secret I've had under wraps." Mummymon snickered. "My Snake Bandage attack is ghostly!" He snickered again and readied his gun, aiming right for Paildramon. He fired, and a bright white laser shot right for the hybrid, knocking him backwards and into a wall. Shurimon, Digmon, Pegasusmon, and Nefertimon lunged for Mummymon, but he soon revealed the true power of his Snake Bandage attack when he threw several lengths of bandages and they wrapped around the Digimon like anacondas, encasing most of their bodies in linen cocoons. Mummymon leaped down to Arukenimon. "They're all tied up. Time to make out getaway. We don't want to disturb them."

"You're not going anywhere!" Rika shouted, jumping in their path when they turned to run. "I want answers and you're going to give them to me!"

Arukenimon smirked with an evil chuckle. "You've got some spunk, kid. I knew we should've used you instead of that pathetic Ken. You would've made a lovely Digimon Empress given your Crest."

Rika narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't listen to them Rika." Wizardmon warned. "She's just trying to get under your skin."

"Oh, Wizardmon." Arukenimon pouted teasingly. "Still stuck in the human's body?"

"What do you know about me?" Rika demanded.

Arukenimon and Mummymon laughed. "Tell me, Wizardmon." Mummymon said. "How does it feel knowing you're so useless to your own partner?"

Wizardmon growled a little, clenching his fists. Rika lunged, slashing her sword, but Mummymon and Arukenimon leaped up high and landed on the table, scurrying away and out the door. Rika glared after them, sheathing her sword. The Digimon dedigivolved, very much worn out.

"The good news is we're all right." Davis sighed. "The bad news is Arukenimon has friends."

"I'm wondering what they really want." Yolei said. "They must have some reason for being so nasty and mean."

"I think they feel destroying everything is simply fun." Cody guessed.

"Just the thought of it makes me sick!" Yolei shuddered.

_Digimon like that must be really mixed up. _Cody thought. _But they can be healed, just like people. _He blinked, as though to remember something, and approached Ken. "Thanks. You helped me. You saved my life. And even though you were the mean Digimon Emperor, I still owe you one."

Ken smiled. "What're you talking about? Why you don't owe me anything at all, Cody. You're air conditioner idea was genius."

"Nope. I'm sorry; I still owe you, Ken." Cody insisted. "And I always repay my debts, okay?"

Ken chuckled a little. "Whatever you want."

"Come on, Cody." Yolei complained. "Don't be like that. Besides, if anyone owes anything Davis owes me."

"Put it on my tab." Davis rolled his eyes. "But I don't think that Cody saved Ken just to repay a debt. It must've been something more deep and important that we'll never know about. What do you think, Chibomon?"

"You might be right." Chibomon agreed. "But personally I think that Cody's embarrassed."

"Knowing him, you're probably right." Yolei nodded.

"I can still hear you!" Cody snapped, making everyone laugh.

Kari noticed Rika still standing off to one side, an enraged look on her face. The brunette approached her raven-haired friend worriedly. "Rika? You okay?"

Rika glared at the ground. "They knew me." Everyone stared worriedly at her. "They knew my Crest and already knew about the fusion of me and Wizardmon before we could reveal it. I have a theory on how they know. It's crazy, and maybe I'm only basing this on how angry I feel right now, but here it goes." She turned to the other DigiDestined. "I think Arukenimon and Mummymon killed my family."

Needless to say, everyone looked pretty surprised over the accusation. "How can you be sure?" T.K. asked.

"They both know a lot about the situation I'm in." Rika reasoned. "Arukenimon even said so herself that I could've been the Digimon Emperor instead of Ken. I'm telling you guys, they know more than we assume." She looked in the direction the two evil Digimon left, fires blazing in her eyes. "No matter what it takes, I'm going to get answers."

* * *

><p>Kari sighed as she walked to her room from the shower. "Yeesh. All that fighting in the Digital World and all it took for me to feel refreshed was a nice hot shower. At least this isn't like the first time I went to the DigiWorld; I was lucky to even have a bed to sleep in." The brunette opened her door to find Gatomon and Rika up on her bed and Wizardmon nowhere in sight. "Hey, where's Wizardmon?"<p>

"Asleep already." Rika jerked her head towards the closet door. "He's having nightmares again."

"Really?" Kari asked. "How can you know?"

"Our minds are connected." Rika explained. "Oftentimes, one of us will have dreams and the other won't. When that happens, the one not dreaming can sense the other's dream or even witness it. In this case, since I'm awake, I can't see Wizardmon's dream but I can feel it. It's a really weird sensation." She looked down. "I try to stay awake when he's having nightmares. I can watch them but I can't do anything in the dream. And they're so terrible even _I _don't want to talk about them."

A soft _thump_ made them jump a little, and Kari slowly approached the closet door. She slid the door open to find Wizardmon writhing as though in pain, clutching his head and muttering incoherently. Gatomon, at the sight of her friend in so much agony, immediately leaped down and bounded over to him.

"Wizardmon!" Gatomon shook Wizardmon's shoulder. "Wizardmon, wake up! Wake up!"

Wizardmon suddenly bolted upright, breathing heavily. His eyes were wild and his hair messier than usual. He noticed the girls staring at him and cleared his throat, albeit nervously. "I'm….sorry, if I disturbed you."

"Wizardmon, are you okay?" Kari asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Wizardmon lied. "I'm just tired." He hurriedly pulled the closet door closed, almost catching Gatomon's whiskers.

The white feline stared at the door for a moment, her ears drooping. "I wish he wouldn't do that."

"He gets that way." Rika sighed. "Always so secretive. I once asked him to promise me there would be no secrets between us, and he agreed. Only now I realize it's an effort in futility." She stared at the door to the closet. "He has his own darkness within him, and in the past week or so it's gotten stronger."

Kari and Gatomon stared at the door for a moment before joining the ghostly Rika on the bed. "Rika? Is there something wrong with Wizardmon?" Kari asked. "Even I've noticed his nightmares getting worse."

"Me too." Gatomon rubbed her arm. "Just by watching him squirm like that I can tell it's as bad as my nightmares about Myotismon. But why? Why are they getting worse?"

"It certainly is a mystery." Rika said. "It seems like every day, the darkness in him grows. But somehow, it's not affecting me."

"Why's that?" Kari asked.

Rika's face gave a clear answer: she didn't have a clue. She glanced at the closet door and then returned her look to Kari and Gatomon. "Can I tell you guys something?"

"What is it?" Kari asked.

"Well, I've been thinking about my merging with Wizardmon." She glanced down at her translucent hands. "It's been so long since I thought about it, but I do wonder about the long-term effects of our connection."

"Like side effects?" Gatomon guessed.

"More than that." Rika corrected. "We've been like this for so long….."

"Do you know _exactly_ howlong?" Gatomon asked.

"Close to four or five years." Rika shrugged. "I can't be exact because it's really just been quite a while since we merged together. After all, I was just a little girl when it happened, and it's been an eventful couple years or so. I can't help but think about what Davis said the other day and I'm afraid he'd going to become half-right. Wizardmon gave his life to me so I could survive that attack. What if he ceases to exist and my spirit takes full control? Or what if _I _cease to exist and he takes the physical form?" She sighed heavily. "And the weirdest part? Ever since we met you guys and joined your group, it's been getting worse and worse. It's starting to take a little longer for us to switch when the sun sets and rises. I certainly don't blame you, Heaven forbid. I'm not afraid to die or cease to exist; I'm afraid that my best friend, my _brother_, is going to get hurt again."

The three of them fell silent, pondering and maybe even mourning a little over Wizardmon's predicament. He would gladly give himself up if it meant Rika could live. But if Fate decided _he _would live and Rika would die, it would break his heart.

Gatomon put on a determined frown. "Wizardmon did more for me than anyone could imagine. He's my friend; the one who saved me from Myotismon's torture. Nothing's going to happen because if anyone hurts him the claws are coming out."

Kari rubbed her Digimon's head affectionately. "That's my girl."

Rika smiled warmly. _Thank you Gatomon. For being Wizardmon's friend._


	16. Ultimate Anti-Hero

**Episode 30: Ultimate Anti-Hero**

The next day: Sunday. No school for the DigiDestined, so they thought they'd get an early start on destroying Control Spires in the DigiWorld. At least, that was T.K.'s idea; everyone agreed with it. Davis's first genius plan for that day earned him a kick to the shin from Rika.

"Absolutely not!" Rika hissed.

Davis struggled to hold back his tears, holding his throbbing shin. "But—"

"No 'buts'." Rika said firmly. "You're just lucky Wizardmon's asleep right now."

"Rika, I can't believe I'm saying this but Davis has a point." Cody said. "Wizardmon's ghost told us that 'kindness would release the Golden Radiance.' Ken received his Crest of Kindness and Veemon digivolved to Magnamon. He also told us our enemy was bigger than the Digimon Emperor. Wizardmon may know more about Arukenimon and Mummymon. If he tells us what he knows he could help us fight these guys."

"The answer is no." Rika said firmly. "And that's final."

"But Wizardmon could help us get the upper hand on them!" Yolei protested. "I'm sure he'd be more than willing to tell us. And if he isn't, we'll find a way to get him to talk."

Rika sighed angrily, glaring at the ground. She looked ready to yell at them again, but instead she sighed again. "You don't get it. He _wants _to tell us. He _wants _to help us how he can and but he. Just. Can't. He is physically unable to do it."

"That's ridiculous." DemiVeemon scoffed. But he suddenly yelped and hid behind Davis's legs when Rika glared at him.

"Look, I tried asking him about it too." Rika explained. "When I was a little kid and we lived in the Digital World, I used to ask Wizardmon questions all the time about why I was chosen and how he got the Digivice and Crest to give to me. Every time I did, _every time_, he would start gasping and wheezing like something wrapped around his throat to stop him from talking. I kept asking, thinking maybe I could catch him off guard. But no; every time something choked him, something stopped him." She looked at each DigiDestined in turn, and her eyes became filled with despair and anger. "You have _no idea _what it's like to hold someone close to your heart and then be forced to watch them suffer. To see their eyes full of so much fear and pain. It breaks your heart." She looked down. "I don't _ever _want Wizardmon to feel that pain. He doesn't deserve it."

Everyone fell silent, unwilling to speak another word of protest. None of them really knew how to respond to that. Kari took a breath to break the silence. "Why don't we head to the Digital World? We have work to do."

"I don't want you guys to ask Wizardmon about it anymore." Rika ordered. "Please. Just leave it alone."

"We will." Gatomon agreed. She cast a pointed look to everyone else in the room. "Right, guys?"

Everyone nodded hurriedly, unsure which was scarier: Gatomon or Rika.

* * *

><p>"<em>Fire Rocket!"<em>

"Way to go!"

"_Double Star!"_

"Awesome!"

"Digmon, nice job!"

"_Star Shower!"_

"Thatta boy!"

"_Rosetta Stone!"_

"Say 'cheese' please!"

"_Spiking Strike!"_

"Let's go, Wizardmon!"

"You got it!"

"_Magical Game!"_

With each attack and preceding every cheer, another Control Spire fell to the power of the DigiDestined Digimon. Ken watched with a small, proud smile. He couldn't be happier that his creations of pure evil fell so easily. "I can't believe it. We're actually making progress."

"Sure we are!" Rika said as though it obvious. "Because we're awesome like that!"

"That's a hundred and forty-seven so far! Today!" Davis cheered from his perch in a nearby tree. "I think we could all use a break!"

Flamedramon landed at the base of the tree Davis stood in, dedigivolving down to Veemon. "Let's eat!"

"I'm thirsty." Kari sighed as she, Rika, Gatomon, and Wizardmon approached.

"Me too." Gatomon agreed.

"Me three." Rika sighed.

"There was a vending machine with juice in it back there a ways." T.K. offered.

"Well then why are we here?" Patamon asked.

"Hopefully it has milk." Gatomon licked her lips. "Preferably in a saucer."

"Count me in!" Kari nodded.

"Yeah let's go!" Rika urged, jogging off.

"Me too!" Davis started climbing down the tree. "I'm coming!"

"Don't worry." Kari assured. "We'll just get something and bring it back to you, okay?"

Davis stared, hanging onto the tree with all his limbs in an awkward position. He wanted to protest, but then he realized that in his position he wouldn't be able to climb down very soon. So he just groaned. "Hey, what kind should we get you?" T.K. asked.

"Whatever." Davis huffed. The others just chuckled inwardly and walked off, leaving Veemon to stare up at his trainer.

"Is Davis always trying to be such a hotshot?" Rika laughed.

"It's just his way of trying to impress and flirt with girls." T.K. shrugged. "Namely Kari."

"Gross." Rika stuck out her tongue.

"Someday you are going to have a boyfriend and I'm going to have to remind you of this moment." Wizardmon said.

"As if." Rika scoffed. "I'm not even twelve yet."

"Ah, here it is." T.K. pointed out the vending machine standing between two trees ahead.

"You have no idea how un-surprised I get by stuff like this nowadays." Rika sighed, staring at the vending machine as they approached. "I mean seriously, why the heck is there a _vending machine _in the middle of a forest?" She shook her head with a smile. "I guess it comes from living here for so long." Peering through the glass of the vending machine, she tapped her lip in thought. "What do you think, Wizardmon? What looks good?"

"I don't care." Wizardmon shrugged. "I won't be tasting it. But I highly recommend the lemon drink humans seem to love."

"Lemonade?" Rika clarified.

"That's the one." Wizardmon nodded.

"That figures." Rika giggled. "It's the only Real World specific drink you like. It's also the only other thing you'll drink besides tea and water."

"What else was I supposed to drink?" Wizardmon demanded. "Last time I drank your father's coffee, I was jittery for hours and then had a caffeine crash."

"It couldn't have been that bad." Patamon shrugged.

"It can when your crash involves falling out of the sky." Wizardmon groaned, looking very much unamused.

Everyone laughed, continuing to choose drinks for the group members and then making their way back towards the rest of the group. "Rika, why did you leave the Real World and come to live here? Don't you miss the Real World?" T.K. asked.

"Not really." Rika shrugged. "It's way cooler here. Besides, I don't really have the option to go back. Don't get me wrong, I love living with Kari and Gatomon. You guys accepted me and Wizardmon into your home and we'll always be grateful."

"Not at all." Kari waved it off.

"But let's get real here." Rika ticked off the points on her fingers. "My apartment was destroyed and by now it's renovated with new residents, my immediate family is dead, there are no other immediate family members to take me in, and who knows how long it'll take to find a distant family member to care for me? Not to mention the fact that Wizardmon and I switch every night. Can you imagine the freak out that would happen if _anyone _found out about Wizardmon?"

"Good point." Gatomon nodded.

"Yeah, I guess it wouldn't work out too well." Patamon nodded. "Maybe if you weren't combined together like you are now you could've stayed in the Real World."

"Maybe." Rika bobbed her head. "But I was only eight at the time; if anyone found me they'd send me straight to the orphanage. The very thought of it terrifies me. And Wizardmon couldn't be admitted into the orphanage."

"We like living in the Digital World." Wizardmon assured. "Rika and I traveled all over the DigiWorld in the years we spent here."

"In fact, we ran into Digimon Emperor Ken just a few days after finishing our travels." Rika said. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Speaking of Ken, where the heck is he?"

The others followed her gaze to discover Davis, Veemon, Yolei, and Hawkmon lazing about, looking almost depressed. Cody and Armadillomon sat on top of a taller rock, staring out into the distance. Patamon took a bottle of green tea and a bottle of grape juice for the youngest boy of the group and his Digimon and flew the drinks up there. When he returned, he reported that Cody held a very emotionless gaze.

"Davis, what happened?" T.K. asked as the drinks got passed around.

"Well, Yolei noticed how Ken and Cody haven't talked much lately." Davis explained. "We tried to get them to work together by having Stingmon and Digmon destroy a Control Spire. But it didn't work out too well. Cody said some things to Ken and Ken took it very seriously and now Ken and Wormmon are gone."

"You're not serious." Gatomon groaned.

"That's the whole story." Davis shrugged, looking towards Cody. "He's been up there ever since."

"We're gone ten minutes and you cause a mutiny?" T.K. groaned.

"Both of them are so stubborn." Yolei sighed. "Neither one of them is willing to talk to the other."

"I feel sorry for Cody." Kari said. "I'm sure he feels terrible."

"I don't think so." Rika shook her head. "From what I've noticed, Cody holds quite a grudge against Ken. He's not willing to forgive and forget. It's going to become a problem _really _soon and he needs to move on."

Everyone sighed collectively, taking steady gulps of their drinks. After a few sips, Davis stopped, swallowed, and looked back over at Cody. "You know what? I was thinking…maybe I should talk to both of them about acting their own age."

The rest of the kids and Digimon suddenly stopped drinking, shocked by the statement and almost choking on their drinks. Wizardmon slapped his hands over his mouth, fighting back the laugh in his throat.

"I think I can straighten them out." Davis shrugged. T.K.'s, Kari's, Yolei's, and Rika's faces turned bright red. Pretty soon none of them could hold it back; all of them burst into rigorous laughter at the very thought of Davis saying such a thing. Even Wizardmon held his stomach from laughing so hard. Davis, however, didn't think it was very funny and stood up quickly to give an annoyed glare. "All right! What exactly is so funny?"

Suddenly, Wizardmon and Rika stopped laughing. Everyone else did the same. "Wizardmon…." Rika breathed.

"I feel it too." Wizardmon confirmed.

Cody and Armadillomon looked up from their perch to see a dust cloud barreling right towards the DigiDestined. "What's that?" Armadillomon asked.

Davis stared at his friends' now-serious looks. "Um…look, are you guys mad? You don't have to give me the silent treatment, I mean come on!"

"Davis, take a look behind you." T.K. warned.

Davis turned and noticed a jeep-like car swerve and skid to a stop some ways away from them. Arukenimon and Mummymon, in their human forms, stood and exited the car. They kept chuckling evilly as though recently told a funny joke. "Shouldn't you boys and girls be home with your mommies and daddies?" Arukenimon teased.

"None of your business!" Davis shouted.

"All right, what do you want?" T.K. demanded.

"I thought you kids might enjoy playing with a little Digimon I put together." Arukenimon said.

"Same old tricks, huh?" Rika scoffed.

"When will you learn?" Yolei echoed. "Every time you try to fight us you end up losing."

"Not this time." Arukenimon assured. _"Spirit Needle!"_

As expected, several of Arukenimon's white hairs shot from her scalp, straightened and stiffened, and shot into one of the many Control Spires surrounding them. But the kids blinked in surprise when they noticed just how great many hairs shot out. The ground began to shake, much to the DigiDestined's shock, and numerous Control Spires rose from the ground, exactly one hundred of them.

"That's _a lot _of Control Spires." Rika noted a little nervously. "You think she's sending an army after us?"

"Have a good time!" Arukenimon called as she and Mummymon suddenly drove away to a safe distance (but close enough to watch the show). "Play nice!"

"Whatever it is we're ready for it!" T.K. assured.

"Davis!" Veemon called.

"Right!" Davis nodded.

"_Veemon digivolve to….ExVeemon!"_

"_Digi-Armor Energize!"_

"_Patamon Armor Digivolve to…..Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!"_

"_Hawkmon digivolve to…Aquilamon!"_

"_Armadillomon digivolve to…..Ankylomon!"_

"_Digi-Armor Energize!"_

"_Gatomon Armor Digivolve to….Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"_

"Let's do it!" Davis called.

"Kari, let me up!" Rika requested. Kari nodded and pulled Rika onto Nefertimon's back with her. They, T.K., and Pegasusmon took off and flew ahead of the others, who hurried towards where the Control Spires gathered to create the new Digimon.

"Oh man!" T.K. breathed. "Arukenimon's making just one Digimon from that many Control Spires?"

"We can handle it." Rika assured. "Let's show this punk what we're made of!" Suddenly, the dust that used to be the Control Spires came together to form almost the very large shadow of a strange shape.

"T.K. what's that?" Kari asked worriedly. T.K. didn't get the chance to answer; the shadowy creature raised its arms and threw an ultra-powerful blow that sent Pegasusmon and Nefertimon spiraling out of the sky, taking their riders with them.

"Kari! T.K.!" Rika shouted. "Jump!" She pushed off Nefertimon and dived towards the ground, somersaulting a few times. Her boots hit the ground and she tumbled a bit, landing on her side in some pain but otherwise fine. Kari, T.K., Pegasusmon, and Nefertimon didn't get so lucky; they slammed into the dirt and grass like a couple meteors. Everyone looked up towards the rocky peak where the Control Spire dust gathered, watching the shadowy figure solidify into a new Digimon. The creature wore black and grey armor everywhere, save for his piercing yellow eyes and bush of yellow hair sprouting from the back of his helmet. He looked so familiar….

"I…..I know who that is…." Pegasusmon groaned.

"It's…it's BlackWarGreymon." Nefertimon moaned as she slipped into unconsciousness.

"He's a Mega Level Digimon." Wizardmon breathed. "He looks just like WarGreymon but he's pure evil!"

"BlackWarGreymon….." T.K. shuddered a little. "It can't be…" He soon became forced to rest his head on Pegasusmon's neck, completely exhausted from the one blow.

"It is…..but I don't know how it's possible…" Kari soon followed suit.

Rika stared in shock at the defeated DigiDestined, already down after a single blow. _This guy's tough._

"What should we do Ankylomon?" ExVeemon asked.

"I'd say protecting the kids is high on the list." Ankylomon replied.

"I agree wholeheartedly!" Aquilamon nodded. The three of them shot towards BlackWarGreymon, who came forward to meet them head-on.

Rika jumped as ExVeemon landed dangerously close to her and scrambled over to Yolei, Cody, and Davis. They watched, shocked, as BlackWarGreymon began mercilessly pounding his opponents into the ground without so much as breaking a sweat. ExVeemon, Ankylomon, and Aquilamon fought back as hard as they could, refusing to give up.

"He's too strong for them!" Davis groaned.

"They need more help!" Cody cried. "Now!"

"Paildramon is the only one who is strong enough to help!" Yolei realized. "That's it, then; we have to call Ken!"

"Perfect idea!" Rika agreed.

Yolei pulled out her D-terminal and quickly typed the email, sending it in seconds. Less than a minute later, a response came. "'I don't want to mess up the dynamics of your team'?"

"Worrying about our team is the least of our problems." Davis said.

"I say forget about Ken!" Cody growled. "We never needed him before and we don't need him now! We can do this on our own!"

"You're wrong!" Davis shouted.

"Both of you knock it off!" Yolei ordered. "You're acting like a couple of twelve-year-olds! Ugh, you know what I mean."

"We don't need Ken and that's the final word on it!" Cody shouted.

"Just shut up you pathetic little brat!" Rika shouted, suddenly grabbing Cody roughly by the arm. "The Crests and those Armor Digi-Eggs chose us to be DigiDestined; we did not choose it ourselves! Ken was chosen, so he's one of us whether you like it or not!"

"Let go!" Cody tried to wriggle free, to no avail. "You're hurting me!"

"Good!" Rika snarled. "Now you know how Ken feels! He's changed! You have to accept him because he's going to stick around and you can't do anything about it!" She shoved Cody to the ground, drawing her sword and twirling it skillfully in her hand. "Yolei! Take Aquilamon and get Ken! Bring him back kicking and screaming if you have to! I'm going to do what I can to help fight!" She took off into the battle, Wizardmon disappearing within her.

_You sure about this? _Wizardmon asked.

_Positive. _Rika assured.

ExVeemon shouted in pain as BlackWarGreymon pushed him into the dirt by his throat, struggling to get the evil Control Spire Digimon off. Out of nowhere, Rika suddenly darted up the black armored arm of ExVeemon's assailant and up to his head, slashing her sword across his helmet. It distracted BlackWarGreymon enough that he released ExVeemon, but didn't leave a mark. He jerked his head around and tossed Rika aside, forcing her to the ground. Ankylomon ran forward to ram BlackWarGreymon, but the evil creature lifted Ankylomon and threw him into ExVeemon when the blue dragon tried to stand.

"Wizardmon, give me a Magical Game attack." Rika commanded.

_On it. _Wizardmon said.

Rika felt the new energy surging through her and she readied her sword. She ran forward and leaped up to better hit BlackWarGreymon's chest. _"Magical Game!"_ She shot the blue lightning at BlackWarGreymon, only for it to bounce right off his chest. Rika's eye widened and she shouted in pain when the evil Digimon smacked her to the ground.

_Rika, you okay? _Wizardmon asked worriedly.

_I'm fine. _Rika assured. _Ken couldn't have gone far; I'm sure Yolei will be back soon. _She looked over to see Kari and T.K. now fully conscious, cradling their wounded and dedigivolved Digimon in their arms. Gatomon and Patamon looked in no shape to fight. _I can't give up now._ Rika gripped her sword tightly and charged into the fight again. She jumped up and slashed her sword again, causing a shower of sparks but again leaving no mark. BlackWarGreymon shot towards her, but she managed to dodge his lunges. ExVeemon jumped onto BlackWarGreymon's back, but he brutally hit him to the ground again. Rika lunged for the evil Control Spire Digimon but he swiped at her and sent the girl sprawling on the ground.

BlackWarGreymon turned to the fallen ExVeemon when Ankylomon rammed into him. "Let's keep fighting!" the yellow Digimon urged. "I'm sure that Stingmon will show up soon!"

ExVeemon pushed himself to his feet. "Right."

Rika narrowed her eyes and grabbed her fallen sword. "We won't give up!" They lunged for BlackWarGreymon, fighting hard to stop the evil creature from hurting anyone else.

"Davis!"

Davis looked up to see Yolei and Aquilamon with Ken and Stingmon flying beside them. "Hey Yolei!"

"I brought Stingmon and Ken to give us a hand!" Yolei announced.

"All right!" Davis cheered. He locked eyes with Ken, but blinked in surprise at the red mark on the boy's cheek, indicating Yolei probably slapped him.

"Let's get to work." Ken said.

"ExVeemon!" Rika called, grunting as she kicked BlackWarGreymon's head. "Stingmon's here! Do your thing!"

"Right!" ExVeemon nodded.

"_ExVeemon…..Stingmon….DNA Digivolve to….Paildramon!"_

Paildramon growled as he lunged for BlackWarGreymon. The evil Digimon snarled as he shot towards the hybrid. The two of them clashed together and seemed to bounce off one another, both of them swaying a bit but still able to remain in the air.

"Wow!" Paildramon breathed. "Talk about meeting head to head! We're gonna need an aspirin the size of a Control Spire after this fight." He shot back up, taking aim at his opponent. _"Desperado Blaster!"_ The blue bullets rained down on BlackWarGreymon, who stood perfectly still while rocks and explosions raged around him. But when the chaos died down and the smoke disappeared, the Mega-level Digimon remained standing as though nothing hit him.

"Uh oh." Paildramon gulped.

BlackWarGreymon made a strange noise, like a cross between a snarl and a very evil laugh. "Look, there's not even a scratch on him." Yolei breathed.

"Impossible." Ken said.

Rika stared in shock. "How can a Digimon be so strong?"

"His aura alone is so strong it's almost overwhelming." Wizardmon murmured. "There's something about him….that's different from other Control Spire Digimon."

"Paildramon was our only chance!" Davis cried. "Now what do we do?"

Then, BlackWarGreymon's eyes began to glow in a white light. The air became thick with a strange energy everyone could feel. Kari, feeling a sense of foreboding and realizing a major attack would come soon, gasped in horror. _"Let's get out of here!" _she screamed.

Too late.

None of them heard BlackWarGreymon shout an attack, but they saw the bright white light of energy charging towards them. It moved too fast for them to dodge it. The raw, unbridled burst of strength knocked everyone off their feet and the light engulfed their vision.

Rika stood frozen in the spot, staring at the energy barreling towards her.

Wizardmon's eyes widened in horror. _"Rika!"_

* * *

><p>Rika moaned a little, sitting upright and rubbing her head. "Ouch. Huh, for such a powerful-looking blast that didn't leave much of an impact." Her eyes widened when she saw her friends.<p>

Every single DigiDestined human and Digimon lay unconscious, either flat on the ground or leaning against rocks. They were all covered in dust, a few bruises, and red marks that looked suspiciously like burns. The rest of the Digimon dedigivolved to Armadillomon, Hawkmon, Chibomon, and Leafmon. Only pained moans came to indicate they all still lived.

"Guys?" Rika breathed. She scrambled to her feet and ran to Kari, the closest to her. "Kari! Gatomon! Hey wake up!" But the brunette and her Digimon didn't budge. Rika looked around. "Wizardmon? Wizardmon, where are you?" No answer came. Getting frantic, Rika closed her eyes and searched within herself. "Come on, Wizardmon, come on. Please answer me. Let me know you're okay." Still, no answer. Rika horrifyingly discovered she also couldn't sense Wizardmon at all, inside her or anywhere around her. "No…no, Wizardmon…please don't leave me…."

* * *

><p><em>An 8-year-old Rika ran as fast as she could through the dark forest, jumping and giving a small scream whenever thunder boomed and lightning flashed. The trees seemed to turn into monsters reaching out to grab her.<em>

"_Wizardmon!" the little girl screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Wizardmon! Why did you leave me? Wizardmon please come back!"_

* * *

><p>The sound of pounding footsteps pulled Rika from her flashback, and she turned to see BlackWarGreymon approaching Chibomon and Leafmon. Her face instantly shifted to a furious glare and she lunged forward, standing over the two baby Digimon and holding her sword threateningly. She wouldn't say anything to BlackWarGreymon; she only glared at him with her fire-filled lavender eyes. BlackWarGreymon didn't say anything, he only growled. But he also didn't move.<p>

Mummymon and Arukenimon drove up in their car, stopping several feet from the Control Spire Digimon. Arukenimon stood up, smirking evilly. "You have done an outstanding job, BlackWarGreymon. You may now proceed to destroy the Digital World."

"Over my dead body." Rika hissed.

BlackWarGreymon still didn't move, only staring at Rika for several moments. Rika's angry face melted into a mildly confused one, staring at BlackWarGreymon. Her dark lavender eyes locked with his yellow ones, which somehow didn't look so sickly anymore. A strange sensation spurred in Rika's chest, and she slowly began to lower her blade.

"Don't just stand there patting yourself on the back!" Mummymon snapped. "Your master has given you new orders! Now get to work!"

Then, BlackWarGreymon did something that shocked Rika greatly: he spoke. "I will take orders from no one."

"You what?" Mummymon and Arukenimon asked in shock.

"Why should I take orders from you?" BlackWarGreymon turned to the evil Digimon behind him. "When you're so weak you need me to do your fighting for you? I must find a more worthy opponent." He turned and suddenly shot straight up into the sky, knocking Rika's hat off her head from the gust of wind. She, Arukenimon, and Mummymon watched as BlackWarGreymon flew off and disappeared in the haze of the sun's heat.

Arukenimon groaned a little and fell back, as though fainting. "Arukenimon!" Mummymon gasped as he caught the woman. "Can you hear me? Speak to me my darling!"

Arukenimon didn't speak, but she did make a sort of disgruntled, disgusted noise in her throat.

Rika continued to stare after BlackWarGreymon. _He didn't hurt me. He could've finished the job but he left instead. Why? _She knelt down and picked up her Wizardmon hat. _Maybe there's more to this BlackWarGreymon than we think._

Arukenimon glared after her creation, growling. "That pathetic creature." She looked down at the wounded DigiDestined, who still couldn't rise after such a blow. The spider woman smiled. "Well, at least now we get the fun of finally destroying those brats."

"Yes, that's it!" Mummymon encouraged. "Vent your anger."

"Hey."

The two evil Digimon looked up with surprised looks as Rika stood up, placing her hat on her head. "Let's get one thing straight here. I don't care if you're the strongest, meanest Digimon in this world or mine. You could be stronger than BlackWarGreymon, even though it's clear you are not. These kids, these Digimon, they're my friends. It's despicable enough when you attack an already weakened creature, but doing it to a creature I care about is _unacceptable._" She turned to face them, readjusting her glasses. Then she twirled her sword skillfully in her hand and held it ready to fight. "As long as I'm living and breathing, you will _not _hurt them."

Mummymon laughed. "You think you can defeat us? You are a mere child!" He morphed and changed into his Digimon form. "Take this you little brat! _Snake Bandage!"_

Rika narrowed her eyes as the linen shot towards her. In a few swift movements, she jumped out of the attack's trajectory, flipped, and sliced through the bandages. The cut linen hit the ground, lifeless. Rika landed perfectly on her feet like a cat.

"I'll take care of this." Arukenimon morphed into her Digimon form as well. _"Spider Thread!"_

Again, she missed by a mile as Rika ducked and dodged and sliced through the threads with her blade.

Arukenimon growled in frustration. "Let's destroy this girl."

"I agree." Mummymon laughed evilly, levelling his gun in his hands. He fired at Rika, but she jumped up and out of the way before diving down and slashing her sword. Mummymon barely had time to dodge it, the steel swishing centimeters from his face. Arukenimon and Mummymon both lunged for Rika, but the girl dived to one side and caused the two Digimon to collide into one another.

"Get off me, Bandage Brain!" Arukenimon hissed.

"Sorry darling." Mummymon said sheepishly.

Rika shot forward, swinging her sword. Her opponents hurriedly jumped away, glimmers of fear in their eyes. Never before did they encounter a creature so powerful, much less a human. But somehow, Rika possessed the strength to fight against them like an Ultimate Level Digimon. Her blade left marks when she slashed, but luckily they could dodge her stabs and not get impaled. Rika leaped around like a grasshopper, weaving fluidly around attacks and punching and kicking with all her strength. Years of martial arts practice and living in the Digital World gave the raven-haired girl plenty of skills to use against her opponents, who would've loved to run if they weren't so determined to destroy her.

Kari moaned a little, blinking her eyes open. She heard the sounds of a battle and moved her head to see, despite the great pain it caused her. The brunette gasped softly. "Rika?"

Gatomon groaned, opening her eyes as well. "Kari? Are you okay?"

"Sort of…." Kari's voice came out as a whisper.

"Where is BlackWarGreymon?" Gatomon breathed. "And Arukenimon and Mummymon?"

"BlackWarGreymon is gone." Kari reported in a soft voice. "He left, I guess. And….Rika's fighting Mummymon and Arukenimon."

Gatomon gasped. Her face scrunched up in pain as she rolled over to watch the battle. "Wow….she's so strong…is it because Wizardmon's inside her?"

Kari stared at Rika for a long moment, the gears churning in her brain. "No…it's more than that…she's fighting…because she cares about us….." She smiled softly. "….like a true friend….."

Rika shouted in effort as she performed a perfect, midair roundhouse kick that connected with Mummymon's skull, forcing him to the ground. Arukenimon lunged for her, but she kicked off the spider Digimon and landed a safe distance away.

_This isn't working. _Arukenimon thought. _I need a new plan or we'll never beat her._

"You have so much power." Mummymon breathed as he stood. "How is it you're so strong?"

"I have the experience of many fights and the heart of a warrior." Rika replied. "You attacked my friends, so you must be punished."

Mummymon smirked. "Someone like you should really reconsider what side to fight on. After all, your Crest plus your strength would make you a wonderful warrior for darkness."

Arukenimon noticed Mummymon holding his gun with the barrel pointed at the ground, but in a certain way that he could quickly raise it to fire. She smirked too. _For a Bandage Brain, he actually comes up with good ideas. _"He's right, you know."

"No, you're wrong." Rika argued. "I am not a warrior of darkness because I do not fight for evil."

"But my dear, your Crest is the Crest of Darkness, is it not?" Arukenimon said.

"That means nothing." Rika snapped. "It's just a tool used for Digivolution."

Arukenimon and Mummymon laughed. "You don't really believe that!" Mummymon said. "You know for a fact that the Crest chose you because it best matches your personality."

"You have darkness in you, Rika Yamada." Arukenimon chuckled darkly. "A darkness that you can't fight. That's why the Crest of Darkness chose you over everyone else. And just look at your personality: hot-tempered, quick to fight, a harsh tongue, and a heart of stone."

"That's not true!" Rika shouted, her grip tightening on her sword handle so much her knuckles turned white. "You don't know anything!"

"We know you lost your family." Arukenimon said. "That your Digimon keeps secrets from you. No one is around to care about you. You have nothing!"

"I have my friends." Rika corrected. "My heart is not stone because I actually care about other people! The DigiDestined are my family and I won't let you hurt them!"

Arukenimon's evil smirk seemed to deepen, if possible. "You will fail."

Rika's eyes widened when Mummymon suddenly lifted his gun and fired the laser straight towards Kari and Gatomon, who could only cower in terror. Quick on her feet, Rika charged forward and leaped between the blast and her friends. Shouting in effort, she held up her sword blade and miraculously deflected the laser blast. The energy ricocheted into the air and exploded, but Rika didn't notice the Snake Bandage attack coming at her until the linen strips suddenly wrapped around her throat. Mummymon, holding the other end of the bandages, suddenly yanked Rika forward and forced her to drop her sword. She gasped and gagged, fighting for breath, when Mummymon used the bandages to lift her into the air and throw her to the ground. Rika gasped, pain erupting in her spine, and clawed at the bonds around her neck. More bandages appeared, pinning her arms to the sides and constricting tighter and tighter. She fought to breathe but it became increasingly difficult to do so.

"L-leave her alone!" Gatomon shouted, shakily standing and brandishing her claws threateningly.

"Mummymon, leave this little fleabag to me." Arukenimon ordered. "You take care of our Child of Darkness."

"With pleasure." Mummymon chuckled evilly, forcing his bandages to wrap tighter around Rika. The raven-haired girl thrashed and struggled, making an almost snarling noise in her throat.

_Rika…._

Rika blinked in surprise at the soft voice. _Wizardmon? Is that you?_

_Yes….._

_Oh Wizardmon you scared me! I thought you were gone for sure. _Rika didn't speak out loud, still unable to breathe properly.

_Rika….I don't have much time….._ Wizardmon's voice came out raspy and a little strained, as though he were greatly weakened. _You…..have to do what…..I say….._

_Just hang on. _Rika struggled to pull the bandages loose to at least grab a rock to throw at Mummymon. _If I can just get out of these bandages I can—_

_No…. _Wizardmon protested weakly. _Listen to me…my strength….is almost gone….._

_Don't talk like that. _Rika half-ordered, half-pleaded.

_I'm going…...to give you an attack…. _Wizardmon instructed. _A Thunder Ball…use it…to free yourself…..and beat them….._

_But what about you? _Rika asked.

Wizardmon didn't answer for a moment. _Rika, I won't survive anyway….._

_No, no I won't let you die!_

_Neither of us….have a choice…._

_But…_

_Don't worry about me, Rika. _Wizardmon's voice was becoming weaker. _It is the responsibility….of the Digimon….to protect his partner…..at all costs._

_No! You can't keep doing this to me! You're not just my partner or guardian; you're my brother! My family! _Tears streamed down Rika's cheeks. _I love you Wizardmon and I don't want to lose you!_

Wizardmon fell silent, and although Rika couldn't see or sense it he was thoroughly surprised by her declaration.

Gatomon cried out in pain as Arukenimon smacked her to the ground. Kari trembled as she pushed herself to her hands and knees, grabbing Gatomon and pulling her in close. Rika continued to gasp and choke while Mummymon watched, a gleeful smile on his lips. Arukenimon laughed evilly as she approached Kari and Gatomon, ready to finish them off. Tears continued to pour from Rika's eyes. To Mummymon, they looked like tears of physical pain or even fear that her death would soon come. He would never realize the true meaning behind the raven-haired girl's current sorrow.

_Rika._

Rika blinked, her eyes going a little wide at Wizardmon's soft, soothing voice.

_Rika, don't cry. It'll be okay. _Wizardmon assured. She still couldn't see it, but the Majin Digimon also cried despite smiling warmly. _I love you too, imōto-chan._

Rika stared off into space for a moment before smiling warmly. _Onīsan… _She gasped in shock and a little pain and a bright light erupted in her vision…..a golden light.

Mummymon jumped back in shock, his Snake Bandages destroyed and no longer wrapped around Rika. Arukenimon whipped around and shielded her eyes from the light. Kari and Gatomon stared in shock at Rika, now encased in a glowing golden sphere.

"But it's not sunset!" Kari gasped. "What's happening?"

Rika felt something, like her very soul became slowly ripped apart. She fought back a scream of pain and instead focused on the shadowy, ghostly figure separating itself from her body. The figure solidified and Rika's eyes widened in shock to see Wizardmon. The Majin looked equally as surprised, clearly confused as Rika was as to what exactly was happening. The two continued to separate until only their arms were fused together.

"Wizardmon!" Rika suddenly shouted in terror. "Don't let go! Please!"

Wizardmon nodded and, the second his and Rika's hands weren't connected, grabbed the girl's wrist. "I won't let go! I promise!"

Rika took a hold of Wizardmon's wrist, the two of them keeping tight grips. But it seemed invisible forces pulled them further and further apart. Though the Digimon and the human tried to hold onto one another, their grips began to slip until they were holding on by fingers alone.

"Wizardmon!" Rika shouted in desperation, fresh tears springing up in her eyes.

"I won't let go!" Wizardmon shouted. _I won't let go! I can't let go! Not after everything that's happened!_

There was a flash of white light.


	17. Flashback Part One

**Flashback Part One: Finding the DigiDestined of Darkness**

Wizardmon clawed at the human's fingers, desperate to get them off so he could breathe. But his captor kept an iron death grip on his throat. Oikawa/Myotismon chuckled darkly. "Does it hurt, little Wizardmon? Is it absolutely unbearable? Take the pain you're in now and multiply it by a thousand." His evil smile deepened to a sinister frown. "That is the pain I will inflict upon Gatomon, her trainer, and every other DigiDestined Child if you don't do as I say."

Wizardmon narrowed his eyes. "Y-y-you wouldn't d-dare."

Myotismon smirked. "Really? Surely you know me better than that."

Wizardmon growled a little, but Myotismon's grip tightened around his throat, and the smaller Digimon gasped in pain. _I can deal with this kind of pain. But those children don't deserve any more pain after what Myotismon did to them! I can't let Gatomon or Kari or any of the children feel this!_ "All right!" He gasped, straining for a full breath of life-giving air. "Okay! I'll d-do what y-you ask!"

Myotismon smirked. "I knew you'd see reason." He released Wizardmon, who hit the ground hard and inhaled deeply, coughing harshly and his throat burning. Myotismon paced around Wizardmon, as though a vulture circling some carrion. "Now, I have a plan. A plan that will bring me back to power where I belong. But I need to make sure those wretched DigiDestined don't get in my way. I have discovered that a new set of DigiDestined children will be chosen in a few years. But instead of eight…there will be nine."

Wizardmon rubbed his throat and glared at Myotismon. "What…..are you talking about?"

"I'm going to create my own DigiDestined. With these." Myotismon reached into his pocket and pulled out a Digivice, tag, and Crest. The Digivice and tag looked like the other DigiDestined children's, but the Crest was black as obsidian, with the symbol in the shape of a crescent moon with a star resting on the inside of the curve.

"What is that?" Wizardmon was more curious than angry now.

"A genuine Digivice, tag, and Crest." Myotismon said. "It's the Crest of Darkness. And you are going to find a child to become my DigiDestined with you as his Digimon fighter."

"And if I don't?" Wizardmon spat defiantly.

Myotismon chuckled darkly. "Then everyone you hold dear will die and you will get a front row seat to watch. Simple as that." He turned with a sinister smirk. "Do we have an understanding?"

Wizardmon didn't want to do it. He'd rather die than do what Myotismon wanted. But he couldn't put the lives of his friends in danger; and as long as Myotismon lived he could do damage to the people Wizardmon cared about. So he sighed and accepted the tag, Crest, and Digivice from Myotismon. "I understand."

"Very good." Myotismon nodded. "I will leave the finding and training of the child to you; but I will be checking up on your progress."

"And what sort of child am I supposed to look for?" Wizardmon demanded, rising to his feet.

"Any child." Myotismon instructed. "Young, but not too young. Perhaps similar in age to Gatomon's little Kari. Just find a child and promise them anything they wish in return for training you."

"Will you be able to deliver such a promise?"

"What?"

"Well how can I promise something if you or I cannot deliver?"

"Just do it!"

Wizardmon sighed. "Very well."

"Good." Myotismon nodded as he turned to walk away. "You have three days." With that, he disappeared. Wizardmon stared at the Crest and Digivice in his hand, wanting so badly to throw them away. But the fear of harm coming to his friends kept him from doing so. He clenched his fist around the objects in his hand, squeezing his eyes shut and growling to himself.

He soon straightened up and sighed, tucking the objects away in one of his pockets. He floated off the bridge and down to the harbor, stopping several yards from Myotismon's old island hideout. He held a hand out, concentrating, and within seconds his staff shot from the waters and into his hand. Wizardmon sighed, relieved to have his old weapon back in his hands. But there was little time for relief with his new task at hand, and he knew it couldn't hesitate.

"Well, time to find the DigiDestined Child of Darkness." He decided, flying off towards the city. "I only hope the DigiDestined will be able to fight back."

_Even to this day I ask myself why I agreed to such a deal. It seemed I need to remind myself of Myotismon's character. He wouldn't just kill me if I disobeyed him; he'd track down the people I cared about and torture them, just to see me squirm. After I gave my life to protect Gatomon and Kari, I wasn't about to let them get hurt._

_But as I wandered around Odaiba, I realized that I underestimated the task given to me. I couldn't just choose any child. If the Crest and Digivice were genuine, then they would alert me to the child they belonged to. Suddenly it felt like the days spent searching for the Eighth Child. I must've gone to every single school, playground, and everywhere in between, usually going invisible so I could float close to the children and see if the Crest or Digivice reacted to them. But no matter which child I approached, be it a kind, quiet child reading a book or a bully stealing some other kid's money, none of them seemed to be deemed worthy of the title DigiDestined._

_Not that Myotismon cared._

"You had three days to find a child and you come to me with nothing!" Oikawa shouted to the wizard Digimon kneeling before him.

"Technically, _you _came to _me._" Wizardmon said, not even staring at the human hosting the evil Digimon. Suddenly, Oikawa's foot came up and collided with Wizardmon's face, sending him sprawling on the ground.

The human glared at the Digimon before him. "Do I need to hurt you again or are you going to do as I say?"

"Is this you giving me another chance?" Wizardmon said. "My, my, aren't we going soft?"

Oikawa kicked him again, this time in the stomach and knocking the wind out of Wizardmon. "I think it would be wise to keep that mouth of yours shut. Maybe the thread needs to be tightened."

_If I had a Digi-dollar for every time I heard _that _threat. _Wizardmon thought wryly.

"I am giving you only one more day and if you don't get me my DigiDestined of Darkness I will find your little cat friend and make her suffer. I can just see the pained look in those pathetic eyes now; maybe she'll start screaming."

Wizardmon clenched his fists. "I will find the child."

Oikawa nodded. "Good." He turned on his heel and walked off, down the stairs and leaving Wizardmon alone on the roof.

_I hate him. I hate him so much. I didn't know if he found Kari and Gatomon yet but I wasn't going to risk him following me if I went to check on them. I wasn't even sure he knew how to get back to the Digital World. I couldn't remember when I felt so afraid that it started controlling me. I felt so confused, so lost, and I desperately wished for a friend…for _anyone _who could understand or at least just listen to me._

_I never knew how soon that wish would come true._

Wizardmon soon became tired of flying around the city and began trudging through town, hardly noticing some of the stares he got. He came to a stop at a bridge over the harbor, noticing the drop off from the missing piece of railing and blocked by traffic cones. He turned and stared out into the distance, lost in thought. The tag, Crest, and Digivice rested in his pocket, never reacting once in the four days he held the objects. At that point, he should've felt desperate. Instead, the Majin Digimon felt only exhausted. He looked over the edge into the waters below, and for once the chilling waves looked like a comforting friend, inviting him to come in and sleep for a while….and never wake up.

His senses got a jumpstart when a set of hands shoved him to one side a few feet. He turned to see two teenage boys, smiling almost maliciously and reeking of alcohol. Wizardmon mentally sighed. _I so don't have time for this._

"Well look at this." One of the boys laughed a little crazily. "I didn't know it was Halloween!"

"That's a nice staff." The other boy slurred. "Made of gold, huh?"

"I think you two should head home before you hurt yourselves." Wizardmon said, moving to walk away from them. But suddenly one of the boys took his beer can and threw it at Wizardmon's head, forcing him to stop. He turned slowly to glare at the boys, one of them taking a swig from the beer bottle in his hand. "You should _not _have done that." Wizardmon growled.

"Just hand over the pretty trinket." The first boy ordered in that same slurred tone.

"Oh, this thing?" Wizardmon leveled his staff in his hands. When he didn't move, one of the boys lunged for him. In response he swung the metal sun ornament around and smacked the boy to the ground. The second boy came forward, but Wizardmon planted his fist into the teen's face and forced him to the ground. Wizardmon nodded in approval. "I didn't really want to do that but you caught me in a bad mood."

The first teenager rose unsteadily to his feet, pulling a switchblade from his pocket and brandishing the blade threateningly. "You shouldn't have done that." He came at Wizardmon again, slashing his blade. Wizardmon easily dodged the attacks and landed a few punches and swipes of his staff. The second boy stood and lifted one of the traffic cones, sneaking up behind Wizardmon and slamming the orange cone into his head. The boy with the knife slashed his blade across Wizardmon's arm, leaving a deep gash. He shoved Wizardmon to the ground, spinning his blade skillfully despite still being quite drunk. Wizardmon clutched his bleeding bicep, glaring at the boys. He really didn't want to use his magic against them, but at the moment he didn't seem to have much of an option.

"Hey! Leave him alone!"

Wizardmon didn't dare take his eyes off the drunken teenagers in case they attacked, but he could tell the new voice belonged to a young girl. The drunk boys suddenly began to laugh. "You've got to be kidding!" one clutched his side.

"You really think a cute little wooden sword is going to help you?" the boy with the switchblade asked teasingly.

"In the proper hands, yes." The girl sounded very young, but very wise.

The boy with the switchblade lunged for the girl, who shot forward to meet him head-on. Wizardmon watched, amazed, as the girl used her blade with grace, elegance, and power. She easily knocked aside the boy's attacks and landed a couple of her own. While the wooden blade didn't cut it still left a red mark where it hit. Wizardmon couldn't see the girl's face, but he could recognize her haircut even in the dim street lighting.

"Kari?" Wizardmon breathed.

The girl knocked the blade from the boy's hand, but he suddenly kicked his foot up and knocked her to the ground.

"Leave her alone!" Wizardmon shouted, jumping to his feet and running towards the girl. But then he felt a burst of pain in his skull and something cold and bad-smelling hit his hair and neck. He groaned in pain and fell to his hands and knees, feeling a warm liquid mixing with the cold alcohol in his hair. Shards of glass littered the ground near him. The boy lifted his foot and kicked Wizardmon's face, sending him rolling off the edge of the bridge and falling down to the water.

_Being dropped into water by a bunch of bats was bad enough. At least then I was still fully conscious. I couldn't really feel my limbs moving but I still panicked, flailing around and feeling water enter my lungs instead of air. My staff was gone yet again, not that it would've helped me then. In my mind I screamed for help even when I knew none would come. But secretly I was happy. Myotismon wouldn't find me at the bottom of the harbor, which means he'll never get the Crest and Digivice. I would be doing the right thing._

Wizardmon's vision went dark, but he suddenly felt a small pair of arms wrap around his chest and pull him upwards. His head burst through the surface and he coughed up water, not strong enough to pull down his cowl so the water ran down his chest. He still couldn't open his eyes, but he heard his savior grunting effort as he…no, _she_ pulled him to the shore. The girl hooked her hands under Wizardmon's arms and hauled him up to the sand, several feet from the water. Wizardmon breathed a little heavily, the cool air greatly relieving his burning lungs.

"You okay?" a girl's voice asked.

Wizardmon moaned a little and opened his eyes to see a figure standing above him. His blurry vision distorted his sight, but he could've sworn he saw…. "Kari?"

The girl giggled a little. "You got it backwards, silly. I'm Rika. Rika Yamada."

The Majin blinked a few times, and his vision finally cleared up so he could see the little girl standing over him. She looked exactly like Kari, even the way she cut her hair, but instead of being a brunette she had pitch black locks. Her dark lavender eyes shined behind a pair of thick framed black glasses, and she wore a black gi with a blue belt. She smiled warmly, but it only made Wizardmon think of Kari again.

"What happened to those two boys?" Wizardmon breathed tiredly.

"I might've knocked them unconscious and left them on the sidewalk." Rika smirked.

"_You _did that?" Wizardmon blinked in surprise.

"Yep!" Rika nodded proudly. "And I'm only seven!"

"Wow." Wizardmon breathed. He slowly sat up, groaning a little in pain. "Thank you for your help. But I need to go."

"But you're bleeding." Rika protested. "That kid hit your head pretty hard."

Wizardmon reached a hand up to the back of his head and when he pulled his hand away there was blood on his gloved fingers. "Don't worry; I heal fast." He moved to stand, only to wobble and fall again.

"I don't think you should be walking around." Rika said. "You're not strong enough."

"I'm fine." Wizardmon insisted. Then, a growling sound emitted from his stomach, and his face burned in embarrassment.

Rika smiled knowingly. She tucked her wooden chisa katana into her belt and handed Wizardmon his staff. "Lean on this and me. I'm taking you home."

"I don't want to be any trouble." Wizardmon said.

"Don't worry about it." Rika assured. "You look like you need some help. And I feel like I'm supposed to help you."

Wizardmon took his staff and let the young girl drape his arm around her shoulders, despite being at least a foot shorter than him. "What makes you think you're supposed to help me?"

Rika shrugged as they began walking. "Not sure. Just a feeling I get." She smiled warmly again. "So you know my name. What's yours?"

The Majin Digimon didn't answer for a moment, still very much overwhelmed by the recent events. But he soon was able to say, "Wizardmon. My name is Wizardmon."

_I don't know what sort of weird if not cruel twist of Fate decided I would be found by this girl. She was like Kari's twin. In fact, the only differences between them seemed to be their hair and eye colors. Their names mirrored each other. Kari. Rika. The similarities were uncanny._

Rika knocked on the door to her apartment, apparently having forgotten her key when she left for her martial arts practice. The door was opened by a young woman in a blue floral dress and a pink apron, flour dusted in her pitch black hair. Her dark brown eyes widened at the sight of Rika and Wizardmon.

"Rika!" the woman gasped.

"Hi Mom!" Rika greeted warmly.

"Rika why didn't you call me or Dad so we could pick you up?" Mrs. Yamada asked.

"I left my phone at home." Rika admitted. "I thought it would be best if I walked. And it's a good thing I did. This is my friend Wizardmon; he was attacked by some boys and needs help."

"Oh you poor dear." Mrs. Yamada hurriedly ushered them inside. "Honey! We have a problem!"

"What is it?" a man's voice echoed from the living room.

"Rika's friend is hurt." Mrs. Yamada said, leading Rika and Wizardmon to the kitchen. She grabbed a couple towels and pressed one to Wizardmon's arm. Rika pointed out the wound on Wizardmon's head and Mrs. Yamada pressed the other towel there. Wizardmon tilted his hat down over his eyes.

"I wish you wouldn't go to so much trouble." Wizardmon said.

"It's no trouble at all." The man's voice returned, closer this time. Wizardmon lifted his hat to see the man: pale skin like Mrs. Yamada and Rika, a messy mop of straw-colored blonde hair, and dark lavender eyes, wearing jeans and a green T-shirt.

"This is my daddy." Rika introduced, gesturing to the man.

"Pleased to meet you." Mr. Yamada bowed a little.

Wizardmon bowed in return. "The honor is mine. Rika is very brave for coming to my help. Those two boys that attacked me were at least twice her size."

"She's been taking numerous martial arts lessons since she was four." Mr. Yamada said.

"Well I owe her my life." Wizardmon said.

Mrs. Yamada pulled off Wizardmon's hat and set it aside to better look at the wound on his head. That's when they all got a look at Wizardmon's ashen gray skin and pointed, elf-like ears. "If you don't mind me asking, who and what are you?"

Wizardmon looked down. "My name is Wizardmon. I'm what's known as a Digimon." He pulled away, setting the blood-spotted towels on the counter and pulling his hat back on. "I should go."

"But why?" Rika asked.

"Are you like those strange creatures that kidnapped most of Odaiba?" Mr. Yamada asked.

"Yes." Wizardmon admitted. "We're called Digital Monsters or Digimon." He started towards the door, but wobbled a little and almost tripped.

"You can't go now." Rika requested, taking Wizardmon's gloved hand. "You're hurt and hungry."

"Stick around for a while." Mrs. Yamada requested. "I can fix that tear in your sleeve and we'll get some food into you."

Wizardmon looked to the little family, blinking in surprise. "Why are you being so kind to me? I'm a monster. I hardly know you."

"Just because you're called a Digital Monster doesn't make you a bad one. I told you before I feel like I'm supposed to help you." Rika insisted. "I know it sounds weird but I feel like we really connect; like we were supposed to find each other."

Suddenly, a bright light emitted from Wizardmon's vest, making everyone gasp in surprise. Wizardmon reached into the pocket under his vest and pulled out the Digivice, tag, and Crest. They stopped glowing, and Wizardmon felt a sudden familiarity. "It can't be…" He breathed.

"What are those things?" Rika asked.

Wizardmon stared at Rika and held out the items in his hand. Rika reached out and touched the Digivice. At her touch, it began to glow again. The Crest of Darkness and its tag floated from Wizardmon's hand and over towards Rika. The raven-haired girl opened her hands and the tag and Crest rested in her palms.

"Wizardmon, what is this?" Rika asked. "It's so pretty."

"It's called a tag and Crest." Wizardmon said. "And this is called a Digivice."

"So why did it come to me?" Rika asked.

"There are human children known as DigiDestined, who are coupled with Digimon partners to act as guardians for the world." Wizardmon explained. "Not just this world but the world where I'm from: the DigiWorld."

"Really?" Rika smiled again.

"I have been searching for days to find the child this Crest and Digivice belong to." Wizardmon said. "Whoever they were would be my human partner." He stared at Rika. "That's you, Rika. The Crest and Digivice have chosen you to be a DigiDestined."

Rika stared at the Crest in her hands. "Wow!"

"Oh sweetheart, we're so proud of you!" Rika's parents hugged their daughter, complimenting her.

"So if you're my Digimon partner, does that mean you'll stay with me?" Rika asked excitedly.

Wizardmon looked down. "Only if you wish it of me."

In response, Rika suddenly ran forward and hugged Wizardmon tightly, almost tackling him to the ground. Rika's parents laughed a little, gently coaxing their daughter off the Majin.

_It had to be Fate. Or some sort of destiny. All I knew is that I finally found the DigiDestined of Darkness. That means Myotismon wasn't kidding when he said the Crest, tag, and Digivice were genuine. When Rika mentioned feeling a connection with me, I secretly felt the same way. It was as if our auras matched perfectly with each other. Not only that, but there was a feeling in my chest. A feeling I didn't recognize._

Rika wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Yuck! That boy's beer must've spilled all over you because you still stink!"

"Rika." Mr. Yamada scolded gently. "It's not his fault."

"The bathroom's down the hall, last door on your left. Why don't you go get in the tub and take a bath?" Mrs. Yamada suggested. "I'll wash your clothes and patch them up. Then we can get your wounds dressed."

"Digimon don't bathe." Wizardmon lied, hiding his face under the brim of his hat.

"Well they do in this house." Rika said firmly. "Now get in the tub before I force you in." At first, Wizardmon thought she was kidding. Then she swiped his hat off his head and tackled him to the ground, tugging on his cape.

"All right! All right!" He pushed her off and ran to the bathroom. "I'm going! I'm going! I'll leave my clothes by the door. Don't mess them up! They're the only clothes I have."

Rika giggled. "Okay!"

Wizardmon rolled his eyes, but disappeared into the room. He discovered a simple yet spacious Japanese bathroom with tile floor and a large bath tub. The Majin didn't know if he really wanted to take a bath at the moment, but one whiff of the alcohol in his hair and he decided it wouldn't hurt.

* * *

><p>"Rika, will you go see if Wizardmon's clothes are ready?" Mrs. Yamada requested. "I'm heating up some leftover curry rice from dinner. I hope he likes it."<p>

"Who _doesn't _like your cooking, Mom?" Rika asked as she skipped off to the bathroom.

"So Rika," an elderly gentleman with dark brown eyes and gray hair spoke up from his spot on the couch. "This Wizardmon character is a Digimon?"

"That's right, Ojīsan!" Rika nodded. "He's my partner and I know we're going to make a great team."

"What exactly _is _a Digimon?" asked an elderly woman sitting beside the man. Her hair was gray and her eyes also dark brown.

"He said he was a Digital Monster." Mr. Yamada said.

"Well he's awfully cute for a monster." The woman smirked.

Rika rolled her eyes and laughed. "Obāsan! Be nice to him, he's my Digimon and I'm going to take good care of him." She continued to laugh as she journeyed back to the bathroom. "I'm coming in!" she called, opening the door. She found a pile of clothes next to the door and Wizardmon sitting in the bathtub, facing away from her. Rika stared at the Digimon for a moment, taking in his elf-like ears, gray skin, and messy blonde hair lying loose around his shoulders. "Hey. How's the water?"

"Very nice, thank you." Wizardmon kept his back to the girl. "My clothes are right there by the door."

"Okay." Rika nodded, picking up the clothing from the floor. She gently and deliberately folded each article of clothing over her arm. Then the girl noticed something and got a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Say, is this your underwear?"

Wizardmon jumped a little, turning just enough to see Rika out of the corner of his eye. The next thing he saw was her holding his black and red heart boxers. His face burned in embarrassment, but he kept his frown as he turned away. "Yeah. What about it?"

Rika struggled to keep her laughs at bay. "Nothing…they're just so cute!"

Wizardmon's face turned a deep red, his eye twitching a little bit. "Oh shut up!"

Rika laughed harder, holding her stomach as she exited the bathroom. Wizardmon sunk deeper in the bath, groaning_. What'd I do to deserve that?_ He mentally sighed_._

When Wizardmon finally got the alcohol smell off him, he grabbed the towel from a nearby rack to dry himself off. Unfortunately, Rika hadn't returned back with his clothes. A little unsure, he wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the door a little to call softly. "Hey Rika. Mrs. Yamada?"

Mrs. Yamada came down the hall, stopping outside the door. "Yes?"

"Are my clothes ready?" Wizardmon asked.

"Afraid not." Mrs. Yamada said. "But I have your underwear ready."

Wizardmon blushed and quickly took his boxers from the woman. "Thanks."

"How's the head and arm?" Mrs. Yamada tried to see, but Wizardmon remained hidden behind the door.

"Still bleeding a bit." Wizardmon responded.

"Here, let me see your head." Mrs. Yamada requested. Wizardmon turned and let her look. "Well, it looks like your head is okay. But your arm is a little concerning. Here, press this against your arm and you can get dressed in this."

Wizardmon accepted the rag and the piece of clothing from Mrs. Yamada, but blinked in surprise. "Is this a girl's nightgown?"

"It's the only piece of clothing that'll fit you." Mrs. Yamada reasoned. "It's only temporary I assure you. Just put it on and come on out to eat. I can hear your stomach growling from the kitchen."

Wizardmon sighed. "Very well."

Mrs. Yamada smiled softly as she walked off to the kitchen. "Wizardmon seems like a very nice person…er, Digimon."

"I just can't believe it!" Obāsan said. "Our little Rika, a savior of the Digital World! Wherever that is."

"It's certainly mysterious." Ojīsan agreed. "But then again, after that whole monster fiasco I would say things are actually going back to normal."

Mr. Yamada noticed Wizardmon coming around the corner. "Hey Wizardmon. Come on out."

"Wizardmon, these are my parents." Mrs. Yamada introduced to elderly couple.

"Hello Wizardmon." Obāsan greeted.

"Greetings Wizardmon." Ojīsan said.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Yamada's parents." Wizardmon said, hiding in the shadows.

"Call us Obāsan and Ojīsan." Obāsan ordered. "No need for formalities if you're going to be with us for a while."

"Why don't you come out?" Mrs. Yamada offered, setting a bowl of food on the table. "Food's ready."

Wizardmon seemed nervous, but eventually walked out into the light. He did look pretty ridiculous in the white nightgown with blue flowers; the bottom of the gown barely reached his knees. What looked most interesting and strange was the fact that Wizardmon pulled the collar of the nightgown up over his mouth.

"Come sit down." Mrs. Yamada gestured to the table. "I'll get the first aid kit and patch up your arm and head."

The wizard Digimon obeyed, sitting down at the table and silently inhaling the scent of the food before him. Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, it smelled absolutely divine. Mrs. Yamada came over with a small white box with a red cross on it. She started to clean the wound on Wizardmon's arm when she noticed he hadn't started eating yet.

"Aren't you hungry?" Mrs. Yamada asked.

Wizardmon looked down. "Um…..could you look away while I eat?"

"Why?" Rika asked, kneeling on the couch and leaning on the back to stare at Wizardmon.

"I don't want you to become frightened when you see my mouth." Wizardmon said.

"Sonny, after all the crazy things that have happened, we won't be scared of very many things." Ojīsan said.

Wizardmon hated how they stared at him, but sighed in defeat and pulled the nightgown collar down to his collar bone where it belonged. The Yamada family stared in shock at the black thread across his mouth. Mrs. Yamada reached out to touch it but retracted her hand. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Wizardmon said. "I was sort of born with it."

Mrs. Yamada nodded in understanding. "Well then that's no reason to be ashamed of it."

Wizardmon blinked in surprise. Obāsan looked over to him. "You can eat and talk and whatnot, right? Then don't be sorry about something natural to you."

"I see." Wizardmon nodded, smiling softly. "Thank you."

"Now I'm going to have to clean this and it may sting a little." Mrs. Yamada warned, soaking a section of a rag with sterilizer. "Just try and not think about it."

Wizardmon nodded and started eating, scooping up a spoonful of the curry, vegetable, and rice mix and putting it in his mouth. The second he swallowed he felt a warm feeling through his stomach and chest. He sighed happily. "This is very good."

"Thank you." Mrs. Yamada said, quickly cleaning and wrapping Wizardmon's arm.

"Mom teaches a cooking class in Odaiba." Rika said.

"Seems like an appropriate occupation." Wizardmon complimented, continuing to eat while Mrs. Yamada did some work on his head.

"Oh you're so sweet." Mrs. Yamada blushed a little bit. "Do most Digimon heal as fast as you?"

"Sometimes." Wizardmon nodded.

"Well the cut on your head is almost fully healed." Mrs. Yamada said. "I think your arm is just what's most concerning."

"That'll heal pretty quickly." Wizardmon assured. "It'll have to; Rika needs to start her training to be a DigiDestined."

"Can we start tomorrow?" Rika asked excitedly. "Please?"

"You think you're ready?" Wizardmon asked with a smirk.

Rika gave a determined look. "I was born ready."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So now you should understand that Rika's name is supposed to be Kari's name backwards. Because they're supposed to be opposites like Light and Darkness. Also, this is the first of maybe a five-part flashback; it may seem long, but it's all important.**

**Translations:**

**Ojīsan: grandpa**

**Obāsan: grandma**


	18. Flashback Part Two

**Flashback Part Two: What Makes A Family**

It was midnight, and the Yamada family slept peacefully like much of the apartment building. Wizardmon lay on the couch, snuggled under a warm and fuzzy blanket. But he tossed and turned, murmuring in his sleep. He gasped as he bolted upright, panting a little from the nightmare. He groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. Pulling the blanket up farther he turned over to fall asleep again. But something didn't feel right, and he turned to lay on his back and stare at the ceiling.

"So little wizard, you've found a little family."

Wizardmon bolted upright and turned to see a ghostly figure of a familiar face. "Myotismon. What're you doing here?"

"I told you if you didn't get me my DigiDestined of Darkness I would hurt your friends." The ghostly Myotismon reminded him. "I didn't want you to miss out on watching, so I came to find you. And here you are, sleeping peacefully in this lovely little home."

"You won't touch Gatomon, Kari, or any of the DigiDestined." Wizardmon declared.

"And why not?" Myotismon chuckled darkly.

Wizardmon narrowed his eyes. "I found the DigiDestined of Darkness. The little girl that lives here, Rika. The Crest and Digivice reacted to her touch." Instantly he felt as though he just condemned himself and Rika to death, but he kept the glare in his eyes.

Myotismon smirked. "Well, well. It seems you're not as useless as I thought. You are to begin her training immediately."

"We start in the morning." Wizardmon promised. "And you will have your Child of Darkness in return for leaving my friends alone. Do we have a deal?"

The vampire Digimon only smiled evilly as he disappeared into thin air, making Wizardmon wonder if he was dreaming.

_Thinking back, I wonder if I could've lied to him and told him I never found the Child of Darkness. But then he'd start questioning me about this home and he'd figure it out. I didn't know how long he'd give me to train her, but I was thankful Rika was so eager to begin. I could sense she had a lot of power in her, and perhaps that would make the training go by faster._

"Well we're off." Wizardmon announced, readjusting his hat and taking up his staff. "We'll be gone for a few days, but a few days in the Digital World will only be minutes here."

"Okay!" Mrs. Yamada waved from the kitchen. "You two be safe now!"

"We will!" Rika called as she and Wizardmon disappeared into her room. "So what now?"

"I believe the Digivice should help." Wizardmon instructed. "It'll open a portal to DigiWorld through your computer."

"Okay!" Rika nodded happily, pulling her Digivice from her pocket. She took Wizardmon's hand and pointed the Digivice to her computer. Wizardmon feared the portal wouldn't open, but in a bright flash of light the computer suddenly sucked them in. Soon they stood in the middle of a forest, greatly surprising some Gekomon that ran away in terror.

Wizardmon sighed happily. "Rika. Welcome to the DigiWorld. My home world."

Rika spread her arms and spun around, her short black hair splaying out and the sun reflecting off her glasses. "Wizardmon, it's beautiful! I love it already!"

"Yes, it's very beautiful." Wizardmon nodded. "But also very dangerous. There are good Digimon and bad Digimon, and the bad Digimon are very, _very_ dangerous. Do you understand?"

Rika stopped spinning and smiled at Wizardmon, looking more and more like Kari with every second. "I understand. But I'm not afraid. The two of us will be unstoppable. I just know it."

Wizardmon stared at his new trainer for a moment. "How can you have so much faith in someone you hardly know?"

Rika closed her eyes in thought. "I'm not sure. Just a feeling I get." She opened her eyes and looked to Wizardmon. "Besides, we'll get to know each other pretty well while we're here, right?"

Wizardmon nodded with a small shrug. "I guess so."

"So what do we start with?" Rika asked eagerly. "Who do we fight with first? What's our plan?"

_Oh yes. She was definitely ready to be a DigiDestined. Rika had this fire in her eyes that showed she was so determined to take on any challenge. I wanted to go slow at first, so I started with teaching her everything I knew about the Digital World and then some. For the first time since I met her, she sat still and listened intently as I taught her about the different Digivolution stages of Digimon, how they get reconfigured, how to tell the difference between good Digimon and bad Digimon (the differences can be very subtle or very obvious), the different labels of Data, Virus, and Vaccine, and more. I told her about different attacks for different Digimon and demonstrated mine for her. She seemed very impressed by that and the fact I could do magic. She kept staring at me with those sparkling purple eyes, the ones that seemed so full of life and laughter, and I couldn't help but smile back. It was like I was her hero or something._

_Heroes are good. Heroes save the day. Heroes don't become slaves for their enemies to train their DigiDestined of Darkness so they could take over the world._

_I was a monster. A pathetic, weak, heartless monster. I told myself I would protect Rika from the dangers of the Digital World and she trusted me. Not that I wasn't protecting her; I would, how the humans say, take a bullet for her. Okay, so apparently the DigiWorld time and Real World time lined up and her parents and grandparents were worried sick when we returned. Rika assured everyone I took very good care of her for the days we were gone. I told them that I would never let Rika get hurt, and they all just smiled and said they trusted me._

_They trusted me. They _all _trusted me. And here I was lying to every single one of them. Well, I guess I was telling the truth when I told them I would protect Rika. I'm her Digimon and I have a responsibility to my partner. We started going to the Digital World every day after Rika got home from school. I continued to teach Rika about the Digital World. Myotismon's spirit haunted my dreams and I even started seeing Oikawa hanging around Rika's school and the park where she liked to play. But I never told her anything. Whenever she asked me if something was wrong I told her nothing. Then to change the subject I'd talk about our upcoming adventure in the DigiWorld that day. We fought all kinds of Digimon that thought it a good idea to attack us. Then one day we ran into an Ultimate level GranKuwagamon that I just couldn't beat on my own. That's when I digivolved for the first time in years, since the day I digivolved to Wizardmon._

GranKuwagamon dissolved, his data bits flying off. Rika cheered, jumping up and down. One of the straps of her short overalls fell off her shoulder and she hurriedly pulled it back over her yellow T-shirt. She smiled warmly as Wizardmon's digivolved form, Baalmon, walked over to her. He looked down at his somewhat tattered white robes and turned to the lake they stood by, staring into the waters at his reflection.

"_This _is my Ultimate form?" Baalmon sighed. "I look like a monster." _How fitting._

Rika came over to stand next to her now much taller than her Digimon. "You look like a neco…neki….rome…..mancy….er….." Her face scrunched up in confusion.

"A necromancer?" Baalmon said.

"Yeah!" Rika nodded.

"That doesn't take away how hideous I look." Baalmon huffed.

"I think you look great!" Rika said, looking up towards Baalmon's mostly covered face.

"You're saying that because you're my partner." Baalmon said, not looking at her.

Rika's face fell. She reached up and took Baalmon's hand at the end of his very long arm. She gave it a comforting squeeze, working her way into his line of sight. The raven-haired girl smiled. "You're not my partner, Baalmon."

Baalmon turned to her, his red eyes widening a little.

"You're my brother." Rika hugged Baalmon's legs, still smiling warmly. Baalmon stared for a moment before reaching down and scooping the girl up into his arm, carrying her as he walked off to find a TV to open the gate home. Rika wrapped her arms around Baalmon's neck and giggled a little.

_Her brother? She thinks of me as her brother? But we weren't related in any way whatsoever. But when I finally dedigivolved to Wizardmon and we returned home that evening, I seemed to finally notice the loving look she gave me. Like she didn't just look up to be in a literal sense. But I had to wonder…how did the rest of the family feel? I already spent a month with them. Did Mr. and Mrs. Yamada think of me as their son? Did Obāsan and Ojīsan think of me their grandson? No, surely not._

_I never realized how wrong I was until we returned home that evening._

"I have an announcement to make!" Obāsan said, standing up. "Wizardmon and I are going out tonight."

Everyone looked up, blinking in surprise. But Wizardmon was the most surprised of them all. "I'm sorry, what?"

"It seems like you're not really a part of this family but you must realize the truth." Obāsan said. "So we're going out for a night on the town like Rika and I do."

"That sounds fun." Ojīsan said.

"Lots of fun." Rika assured. "Obāsan and I really enjoy ourselves when we go out."

"Maybe one of these nights we'll have a girls' night and boys' night." Mr. Yamada suggested. "Lots of families do that in the Real World. Do Digimon?"

"Not that I know of." Wizardmon said. "But my….er, the Digimon that raised me….liked to take me and the other Digimon she raised out into the marketplace or to an onsen."

"Then this'll be like that only without the other siblings." Obāsan said, walking over to a shopping bag on the table. "Only I can't call you 'Wizardmon' while we're out; I'm afraid in this world, people will find it overly strange. How about Ukito? You like that name?"

"Ukito?" Wizardmon repeated.

"It was my father's name." Obāsan said. "I think it suits you. Whenever we're out in public, we'll call you Ukito so that nobody raises eyebrows."

"I think that name suits you very nicely." Ojīsan agreed.

"I do like it," Wizardmon nodded. "But—"

"Now we have no time to waste." Obāsan said, pulling out some things from the shopping bags. "We have the entire night ahead of us."

"With all due respect, Mrs. Yamada's mother," Wizardmon turned from the elderly woman. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Of course it is!" Wizardmon didn't think he'd ever get used to that loud voice that came from such a frail-looking human. "Now change into these clothes; you'll draw less attention."

Wizardmon suddenly found a pile of boys' clothes in his lap. He looked up to politely refuse again, but the look in Obāsan's eyes made him a little nervous, so he shuffled back into Rika's room to change.

Rika gave her grandmother a look. "Obāsan, was that necessary?"

"Your little Digimon friend needs some time away from normal Digimon stuff." Obāsan shrugged. "It's time he knew what it was like to be spoiled by a grandmother."

"Obāsan, please don't embarrass me." Rika pleaded. "He's my Digimon and now my brother."

"I'm really concerned about Wizardmon." Mr. Yamada said. "This seems very uncomfortable to him."

"He's right." Ojīsan nodded. "Dear, you must be gentle and kind to him; you can't push through a wall around someone's heart. You must tear it down brick by brick."

Obāsan smiled and nodded. "Of course."

"Um…..I'm ready…."

The Yamada family turned to see Wizardmon at Rika's door, dressed in denim jeans, red and white sneakers, and a short-sleeved blue T-shirt. He pulled on a black sweatshirt and zipped it up. He kept his hair in its usual loose ponytail down his back and his gloves stayed on his hands.

"You look perfect." Obāsan smiled. "But I'm afraid too many people will stare at the stitches over your mouth." She handed Wizardmon a blue bandana. "Tie this around your mouth." Wizardmon nodded and did what he was told; he folded the cloth into a triangle and tied it about an inch above his mouth, the rest of the cloth flowing down to his collarbone and perfectly covering his sewn lips. Then Obāsan hurriedly ushered him out the door. "We'll be back in a few hours! Bye now!"

"Have fun!" everyone waved as they left.

_I had no idea what I was getting myself into that night. But surprisingly enough it only felt uncomfortable for a little while; once we got off the train into Shinjuku, I couldn't help but stare in awe at everything. When I was searching for the Eighth Child I never really had time to actually see what this town had to offer. Obāsan explained to me that Tokyo was actually split up into different sections like Shinjuku and Odaiba. It amazed me; we never had cities so large in the DigiWorld. If we did, I never went to one. I didn't realize it until after several minutes of walking that I held Obāsan's hand a little tightly. But when I looked up nervously she just gave my hand a squeeze and continued to let me hold it. It was kind of nice, though I wouldn't admit it even to myself. _

"This is my favorite music shop." Obāsan said as they passed it. "Too bad we didn't leave earlier; the store's usually only open until 4 p.m. But just look at all those instruments ready to be played."

Wizardmon paused at the window and stared inside, his eyes catching one instrument in particular. "What a beautiful flute."

Obāsan took a look. "That's an ocarina. A very unique type of flute. You know how to play?"

"A little." Wizardmon explained. "I was raised by a kind Witchmon and she used to play a flute like that all the time to help me sleep or to cheer me up. She taught me to play many of the songs she knew." He sighed softly. "Then she and a lot of Digimon I knew were killed when a creature called Devimon destroyed our village. I never got the chance to say goodbye."

Obāsan stared at Wizardmon's faint reflection and noticed how his eyes shined with unshed tears. Her gaze shifted back to the wooden and ceramic ocarinas for a moment before she put a hand on Wizardmon's shoulder and gently led him further down the road. Their next stop was a small noodle restaurant on the corner, where Obāsan instructed Wizardmon how to use the vending machine outside to get a ticket for the chefs. The two of them received their food and sat down to eat.

"So tell me about this village of yours." Obāsan said as they ate.

Wizardmon carefully lifted his bandana to slurp up some noodles without anyone seeing his stitches. He swallowed and dropped the bandana. "Well, most Majin or magical type Digimon like myself live in a town called Witchenly. The house I lived in rested in the mountains nearby, where you could get a perfect view of the village. That's where I hatched."

"Hatched?" Obāsan raised an eyebrow. And thus led into the explanation of Digimon and Digi-Eggs, which began their conversation. Wizardmon felt his tension ebb away to nothing as he laughed and chatted with the elderly woman. He started getting used to calling her "Obāsan" instead of "Mrs. Yamada's Grandmother" and he already started gaining familiarity with her calling him "Ukito." When the two of them finished dinner they resumed their walking around town. Not being much of a shopper, Wizardmon didn't really know how to answer Obāsan when she asked which store he would want to go into. So they stopped into whatever looked interesting, particularly the secondhand bookstore. Obāsan insisted on buying a few things for Wizardmon, who tried to refuse but when that didn't work tried to tell her he'd pay her back someday.

"Don't you worry about it." Obāsan insisted as they walked from the bookstore.

"Are you sure?" Wizardmon asked, holding the bag with his newly bought books.

"Ukito, you're not just my granddaughter's partner." Obāsan said. "You've been with us for a month now; you're a regular part of the family."

Wizardmon stared at the elder. "Really?"

"Absolutely." Obāsan nodded, tousling his already messy hair. "Which means you are now mine and my husband's grandson. And in this world grandparents like to spoil their grandbabies."

"Huh. Is that so?" Wizardmon mused. "We don't really have that in the DigiWorld. I mean, there was Witchmon."

"Your mother?" Obāsan said.

Wizardmon looked down. "Well, I don't know. I mean, she looked after me and cared for me and taught me everything I know about magic. She made me who I am today. But…..I don't know, I just have a hard time calling her 'Mother'."

"She raised you, didn't she?" Obāsan said. "She loved you and made sure you were well brought up. She did love you, right?"

"Very much, I believe." Wizardmon nodded. "But how can I call someone my mother if she's not directly related to me?"

Obāsan laughed lightly, putting an arm around Wizardmon and giving him a side hug. "My dear little boy. Blood and direct relationships don't make a family a…..well, family. It's the love people share with one another that makes them a family."

Wizardmon stared off into space, letting Obāsan lead the way as they returned home.

_Love makes a family. I suppose that made sense. I never really had a family for so long that I guess I forgotten what exactly made my family a family. When I was raised by Witchmon, there was nothing really unusual about it. She was a Majin type Digimon and created Digi-Eggs that hatched into Digimon. Even if she used magic to create the Digi-Eggs she still put a piece of her within each egg, making them directly related to her even when they hatched and digivolved to different types of Digimon. I was an egg someone abandoned in Witchenly because I didn't hatch on time. I didn't look healthy; unworthy to hatch in a respectable home. Witchmon took me in out of pity. Or was it out of love? I couldn't understand the concept of love and family until I met Rika and her family._

"We're home!" Wizardmon called as he and Obāsan entered the apartment.

"Obāsan! Obāsan!" Rika called, running over to them. "We're going to sing and we need you at the piano!"

"Okay, okay!" Obāsan laughed. "Uki—I mean, Wizardmon. Go take your bags back to Rika's room and then you can come and join us."

"Thanks, but I don't sing." Wizardmon said, taking the bags from Obāsan. "You go on ahead without me." He left before they could protest. Disappearing into Rika's room, he set his things in the corner and changed back into his usual clothes, sighing in relief. But he had to admit that he enjoyed being able to walk among the humans without getting stared at. As the Majin clipped his skull pin into his cowl, he heard music coming from the living room as the Yamada family began their daily music routine. Quietly, he snuck out of the bedroom and down the hall, hiding behind the corner and listening for a moment. He could hear Rika and Mrs. Yamada singing along with some sort of percussion instruments, someone clapping a rhythm, and the sound of a piano. Peering around the corner he saw Obāsan at the piano, Mr. Yamada beating on a box and a cymbal with his hands, and Ojīsan clapping the beat. The song was upbeat and fun, and by the looks of everyone's smiles they clearly had a good time while performing. Wizardmon often listened to the Yamada family as they did this every night, feeling a sense of longing and loneliness but never brave enough to come forward and observe at a closer distance. He would _not _join in; he couldn't play because he didn't know the songs and he couldn't sing because he…well, he actually never sang once in his life.

Rika turned and noticed Wizardmon's hat peeking from around the corner. She smiled broadly and skipped over. Taking his hands in hers, she pulled him out into the light and over to where the rest of the family stood. They continued singing, but Wizardmon kept his head down and face hidden. Rika still smiled, bouncing and swinging hers and Wizardmon's arms in time with the music. When the song finished, the family clapped as they did every night when they ended their song.

"Well what do you know?" Mr. Yamada laughed. "Rika actually got Wizardmon out here for our song."

"I don't really sing or play any instruments." Wizardmon said.

"That's okay; we can teach you." Obāsan said. "I'll show you how to play the piano if you wish."

"Really?" Wizardmon asked, staring at each of the family members.

"You're my brother now, Wizardmon. So you're a part of this family." Rika hugged Wizardmon tightly. Wizardmon stared at her, her words swirling in his brain.

_Brother. I was her brother. I wasn't just a Digimon partner anymore. I didn't even realize it at the time, but the people around me were accepting me into their family. At first, I didn't know what to say or feel. I had this feeling in my chest, some sort of warm feeling mixed with the knot in my stomach from nervousness. But already I was getting used to feeling a part of the family despite still feeling like an outsider. I still had this nagging feeling in the back of my head, telling me I would never really be a part of this family._

_That all changed at Rika's birthday some weeks later._

"Happy Birthday Rika." Sam Ichijōji said as he and Ken left with their mother.

"Happy Birthday!" Ken chimed in.

"Thanks guys." Rika said, hugging her friends. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"Yeah!" Ken bounced up and down happily.

"Why don't we hang out at lunch?" Sam suggested. "They're serving ramen."

"Yummy!" Rika cheered.

"You have a nice rest of your evening." Mrs. Yamada said.

"You too!" Mrs. Ichijōji said. "Bye!"

"Bye Ken! Bye Sam!" Rika waved.

"Bye!" the boys called as they left.

Rika skipped over to the couch and plopped down on it, sighing. "What a party!"

"It's not over yet!" Ojīsan tickled his granddaughter's stomach. "Obāsan and I have a couple more gifts for you. But we need to wait for Wizardmon to get back because we have some gifts for him too."

"Where _is _Wizardmon?" Rika asked.

"He said he needed to run an errand." Mr. Yamada said. "But he still hasn't come back yet."

"You think someone should've gone with him?" Mrs. Yamada asked. "I worry about him when he goes flying off on his own."

"If there was a problem he would've called, I'm sure." Ojīsan said.

_Knock knock knock_

They all turned and noticed Wizardmon out on the terrace, leaning heavily on his staff. He opened the sliding glass door and looked around. "Is…the party…over?"

"Yeah the last of my friends just left." Rika said.

"Good….." Wizardmon rasped a little, wobbling a bit as he came inside. He pushed the sliding glass door shut and began walking inside, but suddenly stumbled and hit the ground. The Yamada family rushed to his side and Rika carefully pushed Wizardmon upright.

"What happened?" Obāsan asked worriedly. "Were you attacked?"

"Let's just say…" Wizardmon winced as Rika helped him to his feet. "…..I ran into…a complication." He didn't dare tell them the truth. Myotismon demanded he come so that he could get an update on Rika's training. Wizardmon's report didn't meet all of Myotismon's expectations, and the Majin demanded to know what exactly the vampire had in mind for Rika. Myotismon decided Wizardmon needed to be "reminded" of his commitment to the evil Digimon, so Wizardmon was beaten ruthlessly until he could hardly find the strength to fly back home.

"I knew I should've come with you." Rika said. "You could've called me and I would come right over."

"No, no it didn't concern you." Wizardmon said. "I just need to sit down."

Rika nodded and helped him over to the couch. Wizardmon sighed and leaned back, willing his wounds to heal faster. "Are you sure you're okay?" Rika asked worriedly, giving Wizardmon's gloved hand a squeeze.

Wizardmon smiled at his human partner and squeezed her hand. "I'm fine. Digimon heal fast, remember? I'll be back up and fighting again in no time. But I'm afraid we won't be able to go to the Digital World today."

"That's okay." Rika assured.

"Besides, we have gifts for you two." Ojīsan said.

"Really?" Wizardmon blinked in surprise. "Isn't it Rika's birthday?"

"Yes, but this will also be an official Welcome-to-Our-Family party." Mrs. Yamada said. "Just wait right here and we'll be back." The adults disappeared into another room, leaving Rika and Wizardmon alone.

"Digimon heal fast, huh?" Rika asked.

"I told you not to worry about me." Wizardmon assured. "I feel stronger already. Oh I almost forgot!" He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out two rocks. "This is called obsidian. This is a moonstone. And with a little magic, it'll become something more."

"You don't have to do that, you're not strong enough." Rika said.

"No I insist." Wizardmon took each stone in each hand and murmured under his breath. The two rocks became surrounded in a purple glow and floated off Wizardmon's palms. Before Rika's mesmerized eyes, the stones morphed in shape and fused together until they formed a Yin-Yang symbol with a small loop on one end. The newly made pendant dropped down into Wizardmon's palms, and he pulled out a length of black string and looped it through the hoop to make it a necklace. "I know you seem to be fond of this symbol, so I found these rocks in a downtown store and thought I'd make this."

"It's beautiful." Rika said, taking the necklace and putting it on. She noticed Wizardmon's hands trembling a little. "That took a lot of energy, didn't it?"

"For you I'd fight the evilest creature in the DigiWorld and this one." Wizardmon said, taking Rika's hands in his. "A little magic is a small favor."

Rika smiled and hugged Wizardmon. "Thanks, Onīsan."

"We're back!" Mr. Yamada announced, everyone coming into the living room. The adults took their seats around the DigiDestined human and Digimon, each of them with a prettily wrapped present in their hands.

"Me first!" Obāsan said. "Rika, this is for you."

Rika took the box and tore off the ribbon and paper. When she opened the box, she gasped and pulled out a violin case. "No way." She opened the case and found an old violin resting inside. She hurriedly pulled out the instrument and began to play it for a few seconds before squealing happily. "Is this the violin you had as a little girl?"

"It is." Obāsan nodded.

Rika squealed again, gently placing the violin back in the case and running over to hug her grandmother. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

Obāsan laughed and returned the hug. "But of course. It was always meant to be yours and I think you're finally ready to have your own violin to take to lessons."

"I'm next." Mrs. Yamada said. "Wizardmon, these gifts are for you. And no refusing." She handed her gift to Wizardmon, who accepted it and gently tore off the wrapping. A pair of pajama pants and a matching shirt rested inside the box, made of cotton and colored light blue and the shirt that buttoned up the front. "I thought those would be more comfortable to sleep in than your jumper."

"Thank you." Wizardmon said.

"They might be a little long but I can hem them if you like." Mrs. Yamada said.

"I'll let you know." Wizardmon nodded, setting the box aside.

"Here, this one's mine." Mr. Yamada handed him a smaller box. Wizardmon opened it and pulled out several bandanas, each one a different color. "The next time you go out again with one of us you could wear one of those."

"Really?" Wizardmon rubbed the fabric of one bandana. "That's…very kind of you."

"Here's mine." Ojīsan passed Wizardmon the colorfully wrapped gift. "I thought you could work with some of the things in there."

Wizardmon pulled the paper away to reveal a book of spells, looking very old and (based on the fact he sneezed after opening it) very dusty. "These spells look promising. Where did you find this?"

"An old store I like to go to." Ojīsan said. "It's full of unusual books and supposedly magical items."

"With a little work I might be able to actually perform these spells." Wizardmon said. "Thank you."

"And now for my gift." Obāsan said, passing the box she held to the Majin. Wizardmon started to smile (not that anyone could see it) as he opened the box. His smile disappeared and his eyes widened a little at the sight of the box's contents.

"What is it?" Rika asked, leaning over to look.

Wizardmon reached in and pulled out a clay ocarina flute, colored dark blue and decorated with white symbols identical to the ones on the inside of his cape. He blew into the flute, playing a few notes. It sounded exactly like Witchmon's ocarina she played for him all the time. "Is this….?"

"The owner of that music shop is a good friend of mine." Obāsan said. "I managed to take a picture of your cape and they designed and made that flute just for you."

Wizardmon stared at the flute in his hands, silent for several moments. Rika sighed. "I must look really dumb for not getting you anything. But maybe when we go to the Digital World tomorrow we'll spend the day relaxing instead of fighting. The Elecmon in Primary Village we helped out invited us to play with the baby Digimon. Sound fun?" Wizardmon still didn't answer, keeping his eyes hidden under the brim of his hat. Rika stared at her Digimon worriedly. "Onīsan?"

The Majin didn't look at Rika, but his breathing hitched a little when Rika called him "Onīsan" again. He took a slightly shuddering breath. "I just don't understand. How can you all be so kind when I hardly know you?"

"You've been around for quite some time." Mr. Yamada pointed out.

"But when I first came here you accepted me into your home within mere minutes." Wizardmon said. "You didn't ask any questions; you just helped me."

"You were hurt." Rika said. "Some idiots were hurting you and I wasn't going to let them get away with it. Even if we weren't meant to be partners, I still would've done it. I still would've brought you here so you could get better."

"But why?" Wizardmon asked, looking at each family member in turn. "Why did you decide to help me when you hardly knew me?"

Rika thought for a moment, then smiled and hugged the Majin. "You know even the closest of friends started out as complete strangers at one point in their lives."

_Those words of wisdom hit me like a Crimson Lightning attack to the head. I thought back to when Gatomon found me in that village; weak, wounded, unable to move very much. When everyone else ignored me, she helped me. After so much time in isolation, I didn't understand the concept of helping someone without something in return. Gatomon told me she didn't want anything. She called me lonely. I guess I was after such a long time without companionship. After my home was destroyed, I was afraid to grow close to people. Not that anyone really showed me kindness. Yet here I was, surrounded by people who accepted me fully into their family, re-teaching me lessons I learned from Witchmon, Gatomon, and even Kari._

_Because of that, sometimes I became angry. I wanted to forget about my past, including Gatomon and Kari and the other DigiDestined. But everything about Rika and even her family reminded me. Rika still looked so much like Kari. At one point she once wore the same clothes I first saw Kari in and I about had a heart attack. I spotted Kari and her brother Tai walking around the mall one day and hurriedly pushed Rika the other direction so they wouldn't see._

_Then there was Myotismon. Or I guess Oikawa, considering the human was the one who always came to me. He wouldn't reveal anything to me about his plans; in fact he wouldn't tell me very much at all. He actually complimented me a couple times: Rika's training was going very well. Every time he came to talk to me I demanded to know what he planned to do with Rika. In response he beat me until I could hardly fly home. Rika always asked me what happened but I refused to tell. It pained me to see that distressed look in her eyes._

_Rika still treated me like her brother. She would smile at me and encourage me whenever we went to battle a Digimon. I sort of felt like she was my sister. Once while we traveled the Digital World I digivolved to Baalmon to fight a Digimon. Afterwards I didn't digivolve back to Wizardmon for a while so we just kept walking. Rika wouldn't say it out loud, but I could tell her feet were killing her. So I lifted her up and let her sit on my shoulders. Okay, maybe she kicked me in the nose but we ended up laughing about it later. That one time, came very close to calling her "imōto-chan," but couldn't force the words out._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I chose the Japanese dub Baalmon rather than the English dub of Reapmon just because I think it sounds better**


	19. Flashback Part Three

**Flashback Part Three: The Merge**

"Hey Wizardmon!" Rika bounced up and down excitedly as she came up to him at breakfast. "Guess what?"

Wizardmon pretended to think about it. "You're excited about something?"

"Yes!" Rika kept bouncing.

"Well what on earth are you excited about?" Mr. Yamada asked.

"There's a costume ball coming up at my school!" Rika said. "I'm allowed to bring a guest and I want Wizardmon to come!"

"A costume ball?" Wizardmon repeated.

"Yeah you could wear your Digimon clothes!" Rika said excitedly.

"I'm not sure." Wizardmon said. "I wouldn't want to stand out."

"Everyone will be in costume." Rika reasoned. "You won't look any stranger than some guy dressed as a cardboard box and tinfoil robot. I'm going as a woodland princess and Obāsan is making my dress."

"It would be nice for you to get out and spend quality time with Rika." Obāsan said. "Besides gallivanting around that Digital World."

Wizardmon thought for a moment. "Well I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

"Yay!" Rika cheered happily. "It's tomorrow night."

"I'll have your dress ready by then." Obāsan said. "But we need to do some measurements today."

"This is a little last minute, isn't it?" Wizardmon asked.

"It's not like you had any other plans." Rika flashed a snarky smirk. "But if you want, then for future reference I'll give you more of a heads-up. But I already told my teacher and all my friends that my brother was coming and he would be dressed as a really cool wizard so you have no choice." She skipped off to her room, humming happily. Wizardmon rolled his eyes, but smiled a little.

The afternoon before the dance, Mr. Yamada took Wizardmon with him to the store for groceries and the Digimon discovered a bouquet of roses, half-wilted and therefore on sale. "Could we get these?" he asked Mr. Yamada. "I can pay you back in house work."

"Not at all." Mr. Yamada said, taking the half-dead flowers and putting them in the cart. "But why would you want these?"

"I can fix them easily." Wizardmon assured. "I wanted to make something to compliment Rika's dress."

Mr. Yamada nodded in thought. "Did you say you grew up with siblings?"

"They weren't related, but Witchmon raised us all like her children so I liked to call them my siblings." Wizardmon nodded.

"Just making sure." Mr. Yamada said. "You're a really good older brother."

Wizardmon smiled under the bandana around his mouth. "Thanks." He paused. "Do you really consider me your son?"

"Sure." Mr. Yamada nodded. "You've become a part of our family; why wouldn't I?"

"I guess I'm still not totally used to it." Wizardmon said. "I spent a long time very much alone."

"We'll help you get used to it again." Mr. Yamada assured. "Besides, it's kind of nice to have someone in the family that actually looks like me. The only part of Rika that looks like me is her eyes." He tousled Wizardmon's hair. "You're a great part of the family."

Wizardmon looked up to Mr. Yamada with another smile. "Thank you….Mr. Yamada." He still couldn't call him "Dad" or "Father", but the man still accepted it with a smile.

By the time they returned home, Obāsan put the finishing touches on Rika's costume. The Japanese girl now wore a pretty forest green dress with a semi-poufy skirt, no sleeves and a brown shawl, gold designs all over the front of the torso section of the dress. Gold hemmed the collar and bottom of her dress and she wore a pair of black, short-heeled Mary Jane shoes.

"Look at me!" Rika said, twirling around. "I'm like a princess!"

"Almost." Wizardmon said. "And I have just the thing to make it perfect." He held it hands behind his back since walking into the room and now pulled them around to show Rika the half-dead roses he got. Rika stared at them quizzically until Wizardmon began using his magic to make them float in the air. Magically, the flowers became fresh and brand new, the stems losing their thorns and weaving into one another until it became a perfect circlet of roses. "A crown for the princess of the evening." Wizardmon placed the crown in Rika's raven hair, earning a wide smile from the girl.

"I love it!" Rika cheered.

"Oh Rika!" Mrs. Yamada said. "We have to get going; the ball will start any minute."

"Okay let's go!" Rika suddenly ran out the door, half-dragging Wizardmon behind her. Mrs. Yamada laughed as she grabbed her coat and followed them.

"Oh dear." Ojīsan said, looking over at Wizardmon's staff on the table. "Wizardmon forgot his wand."

"Eh, why give him the upper hand in a fight like this?" Mr. Yamada joked, causing laughter amongst him, Ojīsan, and Obāsan.

_Once again, I found myself unsure of how I would enter a situation like this. Rika literally dragged me into the school gymnasium and Mrs. Yamada just walked away with only a wave. I could feel the tension rising within myself, wanting nothing more than to literally disappear. I had the ability to, but I knew Rika wouldn't necessarily approve. Besides, for some reason I found that her encouraging smile gave me more confidence._

The gym definitely looked like a typical school dance scene that evening, with tables covered in white tablecloths and the walls decorated with streamers and balloons. Everyone dressed in a costume from anime characters to monsters to numerous fairies, princesses, and fairy princesses. Many of the guests included siblings, parents, or grandparents. Rika introduced Wizardmon to some of her friends (using his Ukito name). Wizardmon received numerous compliments about his "costume." Still, the Majin felt a little tense. He and Rika ate some food and the little girl tried to drag him onto the dance floor, to which he adamantly refused. So she went with some of her other friends to jump around and dance to the upbeat music. Wizardmon watched from his spot at a nearby table, his eyes locked on Rika.

_So many thoughts ran through my mind that evening. Where did my life stand right now? I went through so much in my life. Let's see, I lost my home, got my life saved by a friendly feline, worked like a slave for Myotismon, almost drowned and then got killed, brought back to life and forced to serve that same evil Digimon, got accepted into the Yamada family, and now I was Rika's Digimon partner and brother. Yikes, I've really had an eventful life. Now I've been integrated into this family as though I was born into it. No matter how much thought I put into it, I still wasn't completely sure how I felt about the idea. I was sort of caught in the middle of agreeing and disagreeing. But the sight of Rika's warm and loving smile made the knot become looser and looser in my stomach._

"Come on, Wizardmon!" Rika called, running over to the Majin Digimon. "There's a slow song coming up and I've decided you're going to dance with me!" She took Wizardmon's gloved hand in hers and started leading him towards the dance floor, talking excitedly to encourage him. The Digimon stayed quiet for a long time, not resisting but not exactly going along with it.

Then, Wizardmon closed his hand around Rika's fingers, surprising her enough to get her to stop talking. She stared at him for a while, as though waiting for more. "Rika….." Wizardmon breathed. "I recently lost two people very close to me. They're names were Kari and Gatomon, and they were the closest thing to family I had in a long time. I can never see them again or something bad will happen." He smiled softly. "But if I can never see them again, then I can be happy that you are in my life and that you accepted me into your family."

Rika stared for a moment, then smiled and giggled. "Come on!" She hurried him along, right in the middle of the dance floor. The music began, and numerous other partners came on from siblings to parents and their children. "Now you put one hand here." Rika instructed, placing one of Wizardmon's hands on her waist. "And my hand will go here." She placed one hand on Wizardmon's shoulder. "Then our free hands are held like this." She took his free hand and held it up close to shoulder height. "Now just watch my feet." Wizardmon nodded and looked down, his feet following Rika's as they began to dance.

"_I'd never gone with the wind  
>Just let it flow<br>Let it take me where it wants to go  
>Till you opened the door<br>There's so much more  
>I'd never seen it before<br>I was trying to fly but I couldn't find my wings  
>But you came along and you changed everything." <em>

Slowly but steadily, Wizardmon felt a little more relaxed and the two of them began a steady waltz in one of the many circles of lights on the floor. Wizardmon spun Rika around, earning brighter and brighter smiles every time.

"_You lift my feet off the ground  
>Spin me around<br>You make me crazier  
>Crazier<br>Feels like I'm falling and I  
>I'm lost in your eyes<br>You make me crazier  
>Crazier<br>Crazier_

_I watched from a distance as you made life your own  
>Every sky was your own kind of blue<br>And I wanted to know how that would feel  
>And you made it so real<br>You showed me something that I couldn't see  
>You opened my eyes and you made me believe<em>

_You lift my feet off the ground  
>Spin me around<br>You make me crazier  
>Crazier<br>Feels like I'm falling and I  
>I'm lost in your eyes<br>You make me crazier  
>Crazier<br>Crazier_

_Baby you showed me what living is for  
>I don't wanna hide anymore….."<em>

"I love you Wizardmon." Rika said, pulling the Digimon from his concentration on the dance.

_I don't know what I was feeling at that moment. I refused to admit it, even to myself, that I felt something for this little girl in my arms._

Wizardmon stared at Rika for a while before smiling warmly. "I…...care for you very dearly, Rika."

Rika seemed to accept the answer and hugged Wizardmon, letting him twirl her around as they continued to dance.

"_You lift my feet off the ground  
>Spin me around<br>You make me crazier  
>Crazier<br>Feels like I'm falling and I  
>I'm lost in your eyes<br>You make me crazier  
>Crazier<br>Crazier  
>Crazier<br>Crazier."_

* * *

><p>Once the ball ended, Wizardmon and Rika walked out to meet with Mrs. Yamada. But the mother hadn't arrived yet. She called Rika's cell phone a few minutes later to report she would run a little late picking them up. But Wizardmon assured her that he would get Rika home and not to worry about it.<p>

"Are you thinking we're going to walk home?" Rika asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope." Wizardmon said, leading Rika away from the school. They rounded the corner and suddenly disappeared down an alleyway. That's when Wizardmon scooped up Rika and held her bridal style in his arms. Rika instantly wrapped her arms around Wizardmon's neck, tensing up a little. "Don't be afraid." Wizardmon said.

"I'm not afraid." Rika assured.

Wizardmon smirked and suddenly shot straight up into the air, flying high above the city. Rika's grip tightened and she gasped. "Okay, maybe I'm a _little _afraid."

"Don't worry." Wizardmon assured. "We're just going to fly on home and I promise I won't let you fall."

"I trust you." Rika said. She looked down over the city lights, sighing in awe. "You promise you won't let go?"

"Not unless you want me to." Wizardmon joked.

Rika giggled. "No. Just let my legs go and hold on tight." Wizardmon nodded and carefully let Rika's legs drop so that they flew behind her, keeping a tight grip on her waist. Warily, Rika removed one arm from around Wizardmon's neck and held it out, as though she flew beside the Majin. Wizardmon smiled and continued to glide through the air, glancing over a couple times to see Rika's overjoyed face. The raven-haired girl laughed out loud, her glasses fogging up a bit.

By the time Wizardmon touched down in front of their apartment building, he carried Rika bridal style again and she slept peacefully with a small smile still on her face. Wizardmon carried her all the way to their home, knocking on the door with his foot. Mrs. Yamada answered quietly, whispering to Wizardmon to inform him that everyone else was asleep. Wizardmon nodded in understanding and floated off to Rika's room, gently placing the girl in her bed and pulling the blanket over her. Rika sighed softly.

"Wizardmon, you're the best." She breathed.

Wizardmon smiled, rubbing Rika's head affectionately. "Sleep well, imōto-chan."

Rika's smile grew as Wizardmon floated back down to the ground and out the door. The Majin sighed tiredly and flopped down on the couch, quickly drifting off to sleep. Mrs. Yamada smiled at the sight, tiptoeing over and removing Wizardmon's hat from his head. She pulled a blanket over the Digimon and gently kissed his head before going off to her own room. Wizardmon opened his eyes tiredly and stared after her, a little shocked by the action. But he discovered he really didn't mind that much. It felt…comforting. So he only smiled softly and allowed himself to drift to sleep.

Seconds later, his eyes shot open and he bolted upright. He leaped off the couch and ran to the sliding glass door to the terrace. _That aura. I haven't felt it so close to here in weeks! _Throwing open the door and jumping outside, he glared over the railing of the balcony and saw a lone figure standing on the sidewalk below. The figure raised his dark, soulless eyes to stare at Wizardmon for a moment before turning and walking away. Wizardmon narrowed his eyes but returned to his "bed," locking the sliding glass door behind him.

_I didn't want to tell Rika I loved her. I couldn't tell her; I couldn't tell any of the family how much I cared about them. Someone like me wasn't supposed to love people or let people love me. All I ever did was cause trouble and pain for the people close to me._

_And yet, despite this, I knew I couldn't keep lying to Rika like this. Oikawa began hanging around Rika's school more often, and I knew she would soon be put in danger because of it. She deserved a better life; a life away from the dangers of being a DigiDestined; a life away from the darkness that plagued me….._

_A life safe from Myotismon._

Wizardmon flew high above the city, searching for the building at which Oikawa demanded they meet. The wizard Digimon certainly didn't want to be late to _this_ meeting. Spotting the right building up ahead, he flew off and landed on the roof. Oikawa already stood there, glaring at nothing in particular until Wizardmon landed behind him.

"You're awfully early." Oikawa noted. "So eager to receive your beating?"

"I have something to tell you." Wizardmon said determinedly. Oikawa didn't answer, so Wizardmon continued. "You put me through torture when I was your slave looking for the Eighth Child. Then when I became your sole slave you made me want to kill myself. I questioned my reason for living. You sent me on a crazy chase to find the DigiDestined of Darkness. Surprisingly enough, I found her. _She _became my reason for living. Rika helped me do things I didn't think I could accomplish at all. She treated me like family and I've come to realize how much I care about her."

"This bores me." Oikawa droned.

"I'm not done." Wizardmon's voice came out as fierce as a snarl. "You put me through hell in the past few months; but even though Rika is the DigiDestined of Darkness, she was able to pull me out of it. I have decided I will _not _let you corrupt her and fill her soul with evil. Even if it costs me my life," he twirled his staff, brandishing it threateningly. "I will put an end to you and your threats to the people I care about."

Oikawa didn't answer for a moment. Then, he spun around and launched a sphere of energy from his palm. Wizardmon easily knocked it aside and it exploded in the air. The Majin glared at Oikawa, whose eyes turned a dark purple shade that indicated the evil Digimon in the human came forth. "You are a fool, Wizardmon." Myotismon growled. "You should've sided with me. Now I'm going to kill you a second time, and I'm going to make sure you suffer greatly before I end you."

Wizardmon kept his glare, emphasizing every word. "Bring. It. _On._"

* * *

><p>Rika bowed to her sensei as she finished her sparring with him, wiping sweat off her brow. She pulled on her shoes and walked off to go home, borrowing her friend's phone to call her mom. "Hey Mom. I'm on my way home now."<p>

"_You sure you don't want me to come walk with you?" _Mrs. Yamada asked.

"Yeah I'll be okay." Rika assured. "Besides, I wanna see if I can find Wizardmon while I'm out."

"_He said he was running an errand and would be back soon." _Mrs. Yamada said. _"I'm sure he doesn't need a babysitter. Just be careful on your way home, okay?"_

"Yes Mom." Rika nodded and hung up, handing the phone to its owner. She walked off, out into the city and towards the train station. _I know Mom said I should just leave him be, but I can't help but feel Wizardmon needs me. I don't like leaving him alone; every time I do it seems he gets beaten up by something or someone. I wish he wouldn't keep so many things from me. I hate it when he does that._

Rika jumped when a loud explosion rang out into the air. She spun around and noticed flashing lights above a skyscraper nearby. Several people noticed the lights as well, a couple teenagers taking out cell phones to record it. Rika noticed blue lightning flying off the top of the building and into the sky, then back to the building again.

"Wizardmon!" Rika gasped. She took off running towards the building as fast as her feet would carry her.

Wizardmon dove to one side as another blast of energy hit the spot he once stood in. _"Magical Game!"_ Lightning shot from the wizard's staff, but Myotismon deflected it with ease. _How is he able to channel his attacks through this human? _Wizardmon wondered as he shot another Thunder Ball. He threw a couple more blasts but Myotismon deflected each one.

"_Crimson Lightning!"_ Myotismon produced his familiar red whip and it wrapped around Wizardmon's throat. He pulled the whip and yanked Wizardmon off his feet, throwing him to the ground several feet away. The Majin bounced and rolled and fell off the edge of the building. But he began flying again and shot back up to the roof, landing perfectly on his feet and facing the evil Digimon again.

"You're going to pay for your cruelty." Wizardmon growled.

Myotismon chuckled darkly. "And what are you going to do, Wizardmon? Kill me? You can't do that."

"Watch me." Wizardmon raised his staff threateningly.

"You're a fool." Myotismon laughed again. "If you kill me, you'll kill the man whose body I'm borrowing."

Wizardmon paused, narrowing his eyes. "Why did you choose him?"

"He was lonely, pathetic, and very sad." Myotismon shrugged. "He was the perfect target; darkness already began to consume him. I just helped him embrace it. Before he met me I'm sure he was a kind, harmless young man." He grimaced. "Not my first choice but he was the easiest at the time." He grinned maliciously. "I can see how you would feel satisfied for killing me, but how could you _possibly _live with yourself if you killed an innocent human?"

Wizardmon growled in anger and ran forward, swinging his staff towards the possessed human's skull. Myotismon caught the staff and kicked Wizardmon aside, forcing the sun-tipped staff from his hand. The evil Digimon chuckled and tossed the staff aside. He raised his hands and lightning shot down into his palms, which he then shot towards Wizardmon. The Majin couldn't hold back the agonizing scream as the electricity coursed through him. The lightning stopped and he hit the ground, breathing hard and his clothes smoking. Myotismon just stared at him, as though enjoying the pain of the Digimon before him.

"Now, are you going to be an obedient little slave and be the DigiDestined of Darkness' partner?" Myotismon asked. "Or do I have to kill you?"

An obedient slave? Like Gatomon used to be. Constantly tortured to submission and then beaten even further. And for what? For the selfish desires of an evil Digimon? So he could take over the Real and Digital Worlds because he foolishly believed it was his destiny?

Shaking, Wizardmon rose to his feet and glared at Myotismon/Oikawa. "Even if it costs me my life, you will _never _get your hands on Rika."

Myotismon sighed, seeming very disappointed. "Very well. What a pity. You had so much potential." He glared and summoned his famous red whip, lashing it towards Wizardmon. _"Crimson Lightning!"_

Wizardmon didn't move, keeping his defiant glare.

_I was ready to take the hit. I was ready to die for my friends. I was ready to give myself up one final time for their safety._

_And then, it all went wrong._

"_Wizardmon!"_

Wizardmon felt a small but strong force ram into him like a charging rhino. He tumbled to the ground, turning to stare with wide eyes at the one who pushed him out of the way.

Blood flew and Rika's eyes seemed to scream from the pain. But no sound came from her mouth. Her gi shirt was torn like her skin. She fell backwards and hit the ground with a dull _thud._

Finally snapping out of his shock, Wizardmon scrambled to his feet and ran to the girl. "Rika!" He knelt beside her, reaching out to touch her but pausing. "Rika?" His voice came out as a whisper and a little bile rose up in his throat from the sight of the blood.

"Rika?" Myotismon's eyes widened in realization. "_This _is the DigiDestined of Darkness?"

Wizardmon's shock turned to rage, and he held up a hand. His staff flew through the air and into his gloved hand. Shouting in anger, Wizardmon shot towards Myotismon. "I'll kill you!"

Myotismon narrowed his eyes and shot another energy blast, only for Wizardmon to knock it aside. "You've brought this upon yourself, you pathetic creature." The man/Digimon's purple eyes returned to their normal darkness. Oikawa pulled out some black pellets and smashed them at his feet, making smoke erupt around him. Wizardmon jumped into the black cloud but his staff hit only air. The smoke disappeared, leaving Wizardmon and Rika alone on the roof.

Wizardmon returned to Rika's side and lifted her in his arms. The raven-haired little girl's breathing came out raspy and the blood continued to pour from the deep cut in her chest. "Rika? Rika, please don't die. You can't die! Come on, say something!"

Rika's eyes fluttered open behind her glasses and she looked up almost tiredly at Wizardmon. "Are you…..all right, Wizardmon?"

Wizardmon blinked to keep his tears back, shaking a little. "You…..saved me….." He squeezed her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Rika's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "About…..what?"

"Sorry I got you involved in this." Wizardmon said, feeling the guilt weighing heavily on his shoulders.

Rika smiled softly. "Don't…..be sorry….I don't have any…..regrets…..if I hadn't met you…my life would've…had no meaning….I'm glad….you and I were friends…."

Wizardmon's breathing hitched. "Rika….."

The little girl took a shaky breath. "Thank you…..for everything…Wizardmon….." She sighed and her head fell limp.

It was the worst kind of déjà vu, as Wizardmon realized this was _exactly _the way he died, and the _exact _same words he, Gatomon, and Kari used. Only now, he fully understood how his friends felt when they were forced to watch him die. Trembling, he hugged Rika to his chest and let his tears fall. "Rika….don't leave me…."

…..

Then, he felt the faintest of heartbeats. Focusing on Rika's Life Flame, he could feel it fighting to stay strong. Wizardmon narrowed his eyes in determination, grabbing his staff and hooking his arm under Rika's legs.

"I won't let you die!" Wizardmon told his unconscious sister, shooting off into the sky.

_In hindsight, I suppose I could've used my magic to at least stop the bleeding. What can I say? I panicked. I couldn't stand even the thought of losing Rika. So I flew to the nearest hospital as fast as I could._

Wizardmon landed a little hard and sprinted to the doors, pushing them opened and running inside. His outburst startled several people inside. "Please help! My sister's hurt; she needs help!"

A couple nurses came over and one of them gasped at the sight of the bloody little girl in the black gi. She called for a gurney and Wizardmon gently set Rika on the wheeled bed. Several nurses and doctors wheeled Rika away to the back of the hospital. One of the nurses stopped Wizardmon when he tried to follow.

"I have to go with her!" Wizardmon insisted, staring desperately after Rika. "I promised I wouldn't leave her!"

"Sweetheart, you have to calm down." The nurse said soothingly. "You have to trust us. We're taking her to emergency surgery and then you can go see her."

Wizardmon kept staring after Rika, not moving and breathing a little hard. "I promised….I wouldn't leave her….."

The nurse sighed sympathetically. "Can I call your parents? Have them pick you up?"

"I'm staying here until I can see my sister." Wizardmon said determinedly.

The nursed nodded. "Okay. Here, come sit down and we'll come get you when your sister's out of surgery." She led Wizardmon down to a waiting area and he sat down on one of the comfy chairs. "What's yours and your sister's names?"

"I'm Ukito Yamada and her name is Rika." Wizardmon replied.

"Can I still call your parents?" the nurse asked politely, pulling out a pencil and paper from her pocket. Wizardmon nodded and wrote down Mr. Yamada's cell number, knowing he would be up late finishing some work. "Can I get you some tea or cocoa?"

"No thank you." Wizardmon replied numbly. The nurse patted his knee comfortingly before walking off to call the Yamada family. Wizardmon stared at the floor, hardly thinking or moving.

About an hour later, the Yamada family burst through the doors of the hospital, out of breath from the running. Mrs. Yamada spotted Wizardmon and hurried over to him. "Ukito!" She panted a little as she stared at him. "Ukito, what happened? Where's Rika?" The Majin didn't answer for a while. Mrs. Yamada sat down next to him, staring worriedly. "Wizardmon? What happened?"

Wizardmon clenched his fists, shaking terribly. "I-I'm sorry….this…..wasn't supposed to happen…."

Mrs. Yamada shushed him gently, pulling Wizardmon into a hug. Obāsan, Ojīsan, and Mr. Yamada offered what comfort they could give, but they were all worried about Rika's condition.

Hours passed before the Yamada family could be permitted to see their youngest member. The second they reached the room, Wizardmon went straight to Rika's side. The 8-year-old's skin was pale and her hair a little messy. She held a pained look on her face and her breathing came out a bit raspy. Overall, she looked absolutely ghastly. She wore a hospital gown that covered the bandages going from her chest down to her waist. Wizardmon could hear the doctor talking to Rika's parents and grandparents, but he paid no attention to them. He took Rika's hand in his, giving it a comforting squeeze. The aura reader could feel Rika's Life Flame getting weaker and weaker, and he knew if he didn't do something soon, she wouldn't make it.

The doctor left the family alone and everyone gathered around Rika. "The doctor says it'll be a miracle if she survives." Mrs. Yamada told Wizardmon.

"Nonsense." Ojīsan snapped. "Rika's strong. She'll make it. No problem."

"You're wrong." Wizardmon said softly. "I can feel her spirit drifting away from us. She won't make it." Everyone bowed their heads, fighting back tears. "Not alone, at least."

That last comment made them all look up and stare at Wizardmon. "What are you talking about?" Mr. Yamada asked.

Wizardmon looked at each family member in turn, his heart aching at the thought of what he was about to do but knowing he already made up his mind. "I want to thank you all for everything you've done for me. For too long I never knew what it was like to have a home or belong somewhere, and you gave me that by accepting me into your family." He placed a hand on Rika's head, gently tousling her hair. "Take care of her. Don't let anything happen to her until she wakes up."

"Wizardmon, what are you doing?" Obāsan asked.

Wizardmon didn't answer. He folded his hands at his chest with his staff resting between his palms. He closed his eyes in concentration and murmured the spell under his breath. A white glow surrounded him, the energy radiating from the glow making the lights flicker briefly. Then, Wizardmon's form dissolved into a sort of white comet and whizzed around in the air for a moment before going straight into Rika's chest.

The Majin Digimon opened his eyes to find himself in a dark space, empty except for a small light some feet away from him. He flew towards it until the light floated right in front of him. The light turned out to be a blue-colored ball of fire, as small as the fire of a lighted candle.

"Rika's Life Flame." Wizardmon whispered. But it was too small, indicating Rika's fast descent into death. Wizardmon put a hand at his chest and somehow pushed it right through his clothes and skin. When he pulled his hand out again, his own blue Life Flame floated in his palm. This flame was much larger, its core the size of a softball. "Rika, I hope you can understand why I'm doing this." Wizardmon said, taking Rika's weakened Life Flame in his free palm. "I want nothing more than to keep you safe; to protect you. I'm the one that should've taken that blow, not you. I promised I would give my life to protect you, and now I will fulfill that promise." He brought his palms closer together, combining the two Life Flames he held.

Then, he knew only darkness.

* * *

><p>Obāsan and Ojīsan decided to go home and wait, knowing the doctors would ask less questions about Wizardmon's sudden disappearance if they said they took the "boy" home. Mr. and Mrs. Yamada remained by their daughter's side all through the night.<p>

Just as the first rays of dawn emerged and the sun started to rise from the horizon, Rika moaned a little. Her parents jumped, this being the first sound Rika made since they arrived. They hurried to her bedside, waiting anxiously.

Finally, Rika's eyes slowly opened and she smiled softly at her mother and father. "Hey Mama. Hey Daddy."

Mrs. Yamada burst into silent tears and hugged her daughter tightly, her husband ruffling the girl's hair. Rika winced in pain from the pressure applied to her wound, but kept smiling. "Oh sweetheart. We were so worried about you." Mrs. Yamada sighed.

"I'm okay, Mom." Rika assured. "Tired, but okay." She looked around a little and discovered someone missing. "Where's Wizardmon? And where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, Rika." Mr. Yamada explained. "Wizardmon brought you here after you got hurt."

"But where _is _Wizardmon?" Rika asked. "Why isn't he here now?"

The two adults exchanged looks, unsure how to break it to their daughter. Mrs. Yamada moved closer to her daughter. "Rika, honey, what Wizardmon did for you was very brave and very kind, but it came at a high price."

Tears began to well up in Rika's eyes. "Where is he, Mom? Where's my Digimon?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I don't own Taylor Swift's "Crazier". I just thought it'd be a good song for the dance scene in this chapter.**


	20. Flashback Part Four

**A/N: As a treat for you guys, I'm going to upload the last two flashback chapters. Plus it's been a hectic week so I haven't had much time to write. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback Part Four: To Lose Everything in One Night<strong>

_I don't know how long I stayed in darkness, unconscious and my senses unusable. But when I gained consciousness and realized my spirit still rested in Rika, I discovered she just returned home from the hospital after spending another day and night there. Rika looked overjoyed to hear my voice, even though she couldn't see me. Her parents and grandparents seemed a little concerned about Rika "talking to herself," but I guess they assumed it was some form of mourning. They all believed me dead._

_Imagine all of our surprise when the sun set that day and Rika and I made our very first switch._

_I cursed myself that day, wondering what could've possibly gone so wrong to cause this. It soon became clear what happened: the spell is usually performed with a potion, but I never had the access to it and only used the spell. Because of this, Rika and I were now two spirits occupying the same body. The spell took full effect when the sun rose and Rika woke up, giving her the physical form during the daytime and me the physical form during the night. I must've apologized a thousand times, wishing I could've avoided this. Surprisingly enough, nobody seemed angry at me. In fact, they all looked very happy to have me back. Mrs. Yamada simply said we'd have to make some slight adjustments to their lives so Rika and I didn't switch while out in public. I saw it as an inconvenience; the Yamada family saw it as a simple change._

_It was another change of life for me. When Rika returned to school after about a week of rest, I would go with her. Through her eyes I could see everything she saw. As the weeks passed, I would learn to separate my spirit and come out almost as a ghost, still possessing the ability to turn invisible. Don't ask me how, even I have no idea. But it was great; for the first time I could actually be more ingrained in Rika's life instead of spending most of my days either alone in the apartment or roaming about the city. Admittedly, I did enjoy teasing Rika about her crush on Sam Ichijōji. Sometimes she seemed to forget that I could hear her thoughts and that I _could _notice that look she'd give him. It was nice to be able to get to know the Ichijōji boys, even if they couldn't know me. Even today I feel thankful that Rika became such good friends with them._

_Still, our being stuck together did have its disadvantages. We could only go to the Digital World at night, so most of our trips were on the weekends. Very rarely did we go when Rika took physical form. Rika couldn't go to sleepovers or any other event that went past sundown. During the daytime I was only a ghost, meaning I couldn't physically stop Rika when she got into fights with people; especially the other girls in her class. I feared she would get herself into real trouble one day._

_But if anything, Rika and I were persistent. We adapted to our environment instead of fighting it. Rika's family very quickly got used to our switching every night; Rika waited until nightfall so I could eat dinner with the family. They kindly divided up their family outings equally to spend some with Rika and some with me. We all became one whole family again, and I couldn't be happier. Soon I forgot all about Oikawa and Myotismon and training Rika. She knew everything she needed to know about being a DigiDestined. Or at least _I _thought she did. Oikawa stopped showing up around Rika's school and calling me in to beat me. It was a blissful two months._

_In one night, it all ended._

Wizardmon flipped through his book contently, a small smile on his face. He looked up when Rika's parents and grandparents came in from the hallway.

"Well, we're off." Mrs. Yamada announced. "It's our anniversary tonight and we're going to a new noodle house downtown."

"And we're going to do some shopping." Obāsan said. "You sure you don't want to come?"

"I think I'd prefer to finish my book, thank you." Wizardmon said politely.

Rika's ghostly form appeared. "Have a good time!"

Ojīsan laughed heartily. "Rika, my dear! What on earth are you wearing?"

Rika looked down at her blue pajama pants, white nightgown with blue flowers, and homemade Wizardmon hat on her head. "I was trying to show Wizardmon how I made a hat just like his and I guess I slipped it on before we switched."

"And why is your violin on you back and your wooden sword in your hand?" Mr. Yamada raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

Rika shrugged. "I wanted to bring my violin and sword with me to school for show-and-tell and I didn't want to forget them when I woke up. That's all."

"Well okay." Mrs. Yamada laughed a little. "Wizardmon, I did receive a call from a friend saying they were going to drop off some cookbooks they borrowed from me. When they come, would you please put them right on the table?"

"Okay." Wizardmon nodded.

Mrs. Yamada thanked him and the adults walked out the door, leaving the Digimon and human alone. Wizardmon walked back into Rika's room and changed into black yoga pants, blue slippers, and a long-sleeved green shirt, keeping his gloves on his hands and stuffing a navy blue bandana into his pocket. He returned to the couch to read his book, but only sat there for about ten minutes before someone knocked on the door.

"Well that was fast." Rika noted. "I didn't think Mom's friend would be here until later."

"Well we're about to find out." Wizardmon said, tying his bandana around his mouth. "Now back inside my head with you."

Rika blew her bangs from her face. "Yeah, yeah, I know." She disappeared and Wizardmon chuckled a bit. He opened the door and found not a woman as he expected, but a young raven-haired boy he recognized instantly as Ken Ichijōji.

"Hello." Wizardmon greeted. "Can I help you?"

Ken, who since that moment stared at Wizardmon almost fearfully, blinked and finally spoke. "Uh…is Rika here?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Wizardmon shook his head. "She and our parents are out right now."

_Way to lie to my friend. _Rika said.

_Oh shut it. _Wizardmon replied, keeping his eyes on Ken.

"Why didn't you go with them?" Ken asked innocently.

_Now what are you going to tell him? _Rika teased.

Wizardmon decided to ignore that last jest. "I'm feeling a little under the weather. I thought I'd stay home and not get anyone else sick."

"Oh, okay." Ken seemed to accept that answer. He held out his hand and revealed Rika's Yin-Yang necklace she lost earlier that day. "I just wanted to return this to her. She dropped it while we were playing today."

_Oh thank you Ken! _Rika said giddily. _Thank you thank you thank you!_

_Would you stop that? _Wizardmon mentally laughed. "Thank you for returning it. She's been worried sick about it." He reached over to take the necklace, but Ken suddenly recoiled and held the charm to his chest. Wizardmon stared a little, unsure how to respond.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to give this to her myself." Ken requested in a small voice. Wizardmon blinked in surprise, but allowed him to continue. "It's just that we're such good friends and I want her to know that. I want to be the one to give it back to her so she knows I was the one that found it."

"And not me or your brother?" Wizardmon guessed. Ken stared at him in surprise, causing Wizardmon to chuckle. "Rika tells me a lot about you and Sam."

_You only know about them because you're always in my head. _Rika huffed.

Wizardmon laughed again, and this time Ken did too. "Would you like to come inside for a bit?" Wizardmon offered. "Rika, Mom, and Dad won't be home until late, but there's some curry rice on the stove if you'd like some."

"No thank you." Ken bowed politely. "Mom's with a friend a couple doors down and she'll be coming for me soon."

"Very well." Wizardmon nodded in understanding. "How do you know Rika anyway?"

_You already know how. _Rika said.

_I'm just making casual conversation. _Wizardmon countered.

"She goes to our school. We hang out a lot. And she taught me how to play soccer." Ken replied to Wizardmon's question. "Today she was telling me how to be gentle when dribbling the ball."

"Yes, that's very important." Wizardmon nodded. _You taught him well, Rika. I could tell just by observing._ "I bet you'll make a great soccer player with how you play."

"Really?" Ken cocked his head in confusion, as though wondering how Wizardmon could be so sure.

Wizardmon caught himself and quickly said "Well, Rika tells me anyway. She tells me that you're powerful yet very gentle. Those are good qualities to have in a soccer player."

_Nice save, oh Smooth One. _Rika laughed.

_Shut up. _Wizardmon droned.

"You know, you kind of remind me of a friend." Ken said, pulling Wizardmon from his mental conversation.

"Oh?" Wizardmon asked.

"Yeah, his name is Wormmon." Ken said.

Wizardmon's eyes widened. Even Rika's did. _Wizardmon, is that a Digimon?_

_Only one way to find out. _Wizardmon stared at Ken. "Wormmon? Is he a large green caterpillar?"

"He said he was called a Digimon." Ken said.

_Oh my gosh! _Rika squealed, almost causing Wizardmon to wince. _Ken has a Digimon!_

Wizardmon knelt down to Ken's eye level. "Tell me, did you receive a Digivice? A little piece of technology that maybe came from your computer?"

This time Ken's eyes widened. "How did you know that?"

_He has a Digivice! _Rika cheered. _That means Ken's a DigiDestined just like me!_

_That's right. _Wizardmon confirmed. He smiled at the boy in front of him. "Ken, I have something to tell you. Or, rather, something to _show _you. And I'm going to trust that you won't run away or become frightened. Can you do that?"

_Of course he can! _Rika assured. Ken nodded, looking determined. Wizardmon reached up with his gloved hands and pulled his bandana down to reveal his stitched-up mouth. Ken's eyes widened in awe and shock, and for a moment Wizardmon feared Ken would either scream, run, or pass out.

"Does it hurt?" Ken asked, sadness laced in his voice as he reached out and touched the thread with one hand.

Wizardmon laughed a little, feeling very relieved by Ken's reaction. He took Ken's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Not at all. You could say I was born with it. My name is Wizardmon, and I'm Rika's Digimon."

Ken's eyes widened. "Really? Like how Wormmon's my Digimon?"

"Exactly." Wizardmon nodded, pulling his bandana back over his mouth in case someone came. "Now you can't tell anyone about this, okay?"

_Tell him to hold onto my necklace and he can give it to me tomorrow at school. _Rika said. _Then we can talk about the Digital World and stuff!_

"You hold onto Rika's necklace and give it to her tomorrow at school." Wizardmon relayed the message. "You two can talk all you want about Digimon and the Digital World, but you can't tell anyone else, okay?"

"Okay!" Ken nodded, smiling broadly and tucking the necklace away in his pocket.

"I'm glad you and Rika are friends, Ken." Wizardmon said. "And I hope we can become good friends too."

Ken's smile grew. "And maybe you can meet Wormmon someday and we can all be friends!"

_That'd be great! _Rika agreed. _We'll have to show Ken how to get to the DigiWorld through our computer!_

"That sounds great." Wizardmon said, agreeing with both Rika and Ken. Suddenly, little Ken jumped up and wrapped his arms around the Digimon's neck in a tight hug. Wizardmon only smiled and returned the embrace.

"I'm happy we're friends." Ken said.

"Me too." Wizardmon agreed.

Ken's mother finally came by and the boy waved goodbye as they walked off. Wizardmon closed the door and Rika suddenly appeared, somehow jumping around despite floating in her spirit form.

"This is so great!"Rika cheered. "I can't wait to meet Wormmon!"

"All in good time." Wizardmon assured. "Now to sleep with you; you have school tomorrow."

Rika rolled her eyes. "You are definitely my older brother because you boss me around like one."

"That's my job." Wizardmon smirked. "Now go to sleep."

"Okay." Rika smiled and yawned a bit. "Goodnight Wizardmon."

"Sleep well." Wizardmon smiled too. Rika disappeared, back into her Digimon to sleep.

The night went on peacefully. Wizardmon ate some leftovers from dinner and finished reading his book. After that, he felt a little bored. He didn't normally watch TV, but decided the silence too deafening so began to flip through the channels. Unfortunately, nothing really looked interesting. Even most of Rika's cartoons she liked to watch weren't on. Mrs. Yamada's friend came by to drop off the books but left soon after, leaving Wizardmon once again bored. He started wishing Rika didn't go to sleep so he would at least have someone to talk to.

"We're home!" Obāsan called as they entered the apartment. The four adults came into the living room to see Wizardmon's feet in the air, the Digimon sitting upside down on the couch with his head and hair hanging off the edge.

"Bored much?" Mr. Yamada asked.

"A little." Wizardmon sighed. He curled up and spun around, standing up and stretching. "I think I'm going to fly around for a bit. I need fresh air."

"Okay." Mrs. Yamada nodded. "You be careful. Tomorrow night we'll go have a family night in Shinjuku."

"Sounds fun." Wizardmon nodded, disappearing back into Rika's room. He smiled warmly as he pulled off his casual clothes and dressed in his usual jumper, vest, shoes, and gloves. He was just tying his cape around his shoulders when he heard voices.

"Can I help you with something?"

"I'm looking for an old Digimon slave of mine."

"A what?"

"Don't bother playing dumb, Mr. Yamada."

Curious and a little fearful, Wizardmon hurriedly pulled on his cowl and hat and rushed out the door, snatching his staff on the way. But Obāsan suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him into the shadows, shielding him from view. Wizardmon listened carefully, unable to see the stranger at the door because of Mr. Yamada and Ojīsan standing in the way. Mrs. Yamada stood off to one side in the kitchen, her phone in her hand and ready to be used.

"I'm not sure what a Digimon is, but I think you should look elsewhere." Mr. Yamada said, a hand on the door and ready to close it.

"I don't think you understand." The stranger said. "This isn't just a Digimon slave; he owes me his life. At first, I believed him to be dead after a little skirmish between us. But now I understand he has fused himself with your little girl."

"If you don't leave this minute, I will call the police." Ojīsan threatened. "We don't know what you're talking about, so I suggest you just leave."

Mr. Yamada started to close the door when the stranger put a hand up and kept it open. "If you do not hand over Wizardmon in the next ten seconds, I'm afraid things are about to get _very _unpleasant for you."

"Get out of here." Mr. Yamada ordered.

The stranger sighed, as though disappointed. "Very well."

Suddenly, the door flew open and Mr. Yamada and Ojīsan flew backwards, hitting the floor. Mrs. Yamada gasped in horror. Wizardmon looked past Obāsan and his eyes widened. _No…it can't be…not here!_

Oikawa walked into the apartment, shutting the door behind him and resting his wide-brimmed hat on the coat hook. "Oh Wizardmon? Where are you?" He called out in sing-song voice that came out sinister. The man stepped further into the apartment, looking around. Obāsan pushed Wizardmon and herself farther into the shadows, out of sight. Mrs. Yamada rushed in, raising a pan and swinging it towards his head. Oikawa turned and caught her wrist, stopping the attack. He quickly snatched the phone from her hand and smashed it on the ground, making it completely unusable. He shoved Mrs. Yamada to the floor. Mr. Yamada ran in, his fist prepared to strike Oikawa's head. The dark-haired man only chuckled darkly and caught the blonde man's fist, twisting him around and wrapping and arm around his throat. Mr. Yamada struggled to get him off.

"This is how things are going to go." Oikawa said. "You either hand over Wizardmon to me or I'm going to have to snap his neck."

"Let him go this instant!" Ojīsan ordered.

"Oh come now." Oikawa said with an evil smirk. "The way I see it, you have four chances to hand him over. For every time you refuse, somebody dies." He brought his other hand up, preparing to twist Mr. Yamada's head and break his neck. "Starting with him."

"_Magical Game!"_

Oikawa jumped as a blue lightning bolt shot dangerously close to his head. His grip loosened enough for Mr. Yamada to slip out and twist his arm around, pinning Oikawa to the wall. "Well done, my boy." Mr. Yamada said, nodding to Wizardmon behind him.

Oikawa laughed. "'My boy?' Don't tell me these people _actually _care about you?"

"Shut up." Wizardmon growled. "And get out of here!"

"I don't think so." Oikawa said. "Even if your little trainer is next to useless to me, you are still my slave."

"Never again." Wizardmon said firmly.

Oikawa's smirk disappeared. "You little fool." He suddenly twisted out of Mr. Yamada's death grip and landed a firm punch to the blonde man's face, making him stumble backwards. Before anyone else could move, Oikawa suddenly grabbed Mr. Yamada's head and gave it a fierce jerk. A sickening _CRACK _rang out, and Mr. Yamada slumped to the floor, unmoving. Mrs. Yamada screamed in terror. Wizardmon's eyes went wide, staring at his now-dead foster father.

_No… _the shock prevented him from speaking.

Mrs. Yamada suddenly ran up, swinging her frying pan again. Oikawa ducked just in time, stepping back to avoid her swings. He swiftly kicked his foot up and hit the woman's stomach, knocking the wind out of her and forcing her to the ground. Wizardmon, finally snapping out of his shock, ran forward and swung his staff. Oikawa grabbed the closest thing to him, a bottle of cooking oil, to block the blow, but the force of the staff connecting with the glass bottle shattered it and spilled oil all over the floor.

"You should've left when you had the chance." Wizardmon growled, readying his staff.

"Why?" Oikawa asked casually. "On the contrary; this is quite fun!" He thrust his palm towards Wizardmon and a sphere of energy shot from it. He prepared to block it but the sphere whizzed past the Majin's head and hit Obāsan instead. The elderly woman's head smacked against the wall corner and she hit the ground, out cold in seconds. Wizardmon inwardly groaned, realizing Myotismon was coming forth. He lunged for the possessed human, but Oikawa sidestepped and brought his arm around, putting a hand on the back of Wizardmon's skull and shoving it into the wall. Wizardmon shouted in pain, stumbling backwards and tasting a little blood in his mouth. Oikawa grabbed his hair and yanked him up off his feet. Mrs. Yamada moved in again, this time with a kitchen knife. Ojīsan came in from another side, holding a baseball bat. Oikawa dropped Wizardmon and caught the bat and Mrs. Yamada's wrist in each hand. He jerked the bat from the elderly man's hands and whacked him on the head with the handle, forcing him to fall to the ground in a daze. Oikawa turned to Mrs. Yamada and pinched a nerve in her wrist, forcing her to drop the knife. She moved to punch him, but he brutally slapped her aside and her head hit the corner of the table. She slumped to the floor, unconscious like Obāsan.

Wizardmon stared in horror at his foster mother, focusing on the blood trickling from the cut in her head. _No. No, stop hurting them! _He stood up quickly. _"Thunder Ball!"_ The powerful blast launched from his palm and straight towards Oikawa, who could barely jump away in time. The blast sailed across the room and connected with the TV, causing an explosion.

"You have one last chance to surrender, Wizardmon." Oikawa growled. "Or things are going to become _very _difficult for you."

"You don't scare me." Wizardmon said determinedly. "It will take a lot more than the likes of you to scare me."

Oikawa paused, as though pondering the statement. "That's true…..you aren't scared of very many things." A low groan made both of them turn and they saw Ojīsan shakily rising to his knees. Oikawa smirked evilly.

"No!" Wizardmon lunged for Oikawa, but the first Crimson Lightning strike hit him across the face and forced him to the ground. He shook it off fast and moved in again but suddenly a great pain erupted in his chest. The Digimon shouted in agony, feeling some invisible force lift him off the ground. He managed to open his eyes enough to see Oikawa's hand raised, controlling whatever force that caused him so much pain. The possessed human threw Wizardmon to the ground, but the pain still continued. Wizardmon trembled and jerked a few times, fighting to stand.

"Do make sure you keep your eyes open." Oikawa chuckled darkly, a Crimson Lightning whip forming in his free hand. "I would hate for you to miss this." He snapped his whip, hitting Ojīsan across his skull. He continued to strike the elderly man with the blood red whip, and each time Ojīsan would shout in pain. Wizardmon felt hot tears welling up behind his eyes, wanting desperately to help but overcome by the pain. But he couldn't stand listening to the shouts anymore. He looked around, seeing the rest of his human family unconscious or dead on the ground. All because of Oikawa….no, Oikawa was an innocent, ignorant man. This was Myotismon's fault.

_Everything _is Myotismon's fault.

Anger flared up in Wizardmon's chest as he watched Ojīsan fall flat on his face, unmoving. Oikawa raised the Crimson Lightning whip one more time, but Wizardmon suddenly jumped to his feet and leaped between the two men. The whip end straightened out like a sword and pierced through Wizardmon's vest, hitting his shoulder. He fell to his knees, clutching his now-bleeding shoulder and glaring hard at Oikawa. The possessed human only stared back, as though analyzing the wounded Digimon.

"I just don't understand you." Oikawa finally said. "How can you give your life so willingly for these pathetic humans?"

Wizardmon took a few breaths, teeth clenched from the pain. "If you ever…..had a family of your own…you would understand…"

Oikawa huffed. "You really are a fool. Just like your little cat friend. You both believed in so much, not realizing how stupid it was to do so." He walked around the table and over to the kitchen area, stepping over Mr. and Mrs. Yamada's bodies as he did. "You need to be taught a lesson. You disobeyed me just as Gatomon did, so you must be punished." He took a lit candle from the kitchen counter and dropped it on the floor where the cooking oil spilled. The flammable liquid instantly ignited, taking the carpet with it and soon most of the floor. Oikawa's eyes began to glow red, and he raised his arms. The fire grew larger, circling around Oikawa and steadily getting stronger. Wizardmon quickly realized what was about to happen and grabbed his staff off the floor. He slammed the end of the staff into the floor, a protective barrier sprouting from the sun ornament and surrounding him and Ojīsan just as the explosion happened. The force pushed through Wizardmon's barrier and sent him backwards over the back of the couch and tumbling to the floor. When he opened his eyes, the entire apartment was in flames. Oikawa suddenly leaped through the smoke.

"_Crimson Lightning!" _that same red whip, the one that haunted Wizardmon's nightmares, came flaring towards him yet again.

Time seemed to slow down as Wizardmon laid on his back, staring at the attack coming straight at him. The shock of everything prevented him from moving. Flames and smoke raged around him, taking away his home and the humans who used to reside in it. Everything he knew, everything he grew accustomed to in the past months, it was all leaving him and he couldn't do anything about it. He should've been sad, mournful even.

Instead, pure hatred flared up in Wizardmon's chest.

What sort of cruel Fate decided he would suffer like this? Why did Myotismon choose him? Why _him_? Why did Rika have to get hurt? Why did his new family have to die? Why did he have to gain such happiness only to lose it all again?

_What joy does Myotismon get by causing such pain?!_

Wizardmon curled his knees up to his chest and used his arms to push him into the air, flipping and turning and landing perfectly on his feet as Rika taught him. The Crimson Lighting attack hit the ground and Oikawa stumbled a bit as he landed. _"Magical Game!" _Wizardmon shouted, pointing his staff at Oikawa.

The possessed human moved aside just in time to avoid the attack. "How dare you?"

"You deserve every bit of pain I inflict on you!" Wizardmon shouted. "You're cruel and heartless! You care for no one but yourself! Gatomon and DemiDevimon, every Digimon that served you when you came to this world obeyed every order you gave! And in return _you _were the one who directly caused their suffering and for many, their deaths! Why? Why did you do it? They did everything you said even when you tortured them to no end!"

"I am not going to stand here and be lectured by you!" Oikawa threw another sphere of energy, but Wizardmon used his staff like a baseball bat and whacked the sphere away. The sound of shattering glass indicated the sliding glass door broke.

"_Thunder Ball!" _Wizardmon sent the blast flying, but once again missed. "You call _me _that pathetic one? _You _could've been content with being a powerful Digimon, but you simply had to rule the Digital World! Not only that, you felt the need to invade this world and take it over! Do you have _any idea _how much pain you caused on innocent people?"

"You are a fool." Oikawa sneered.

"No, _you're _the fool." Wizardmon corrected. "You were so caught up in your pride and cruelty that you didn't see what was clear in front of you: that the DigiDestined would defeat you. It was obvious from the start, and believe me when I say that if you ever try to take over again they will be there to stop you."

Oikawa's glare deepened. "You have uttered your final words."

Myotismon, being such a powerful Digimon, possessed the capabilities of magic just as Wizardmon did. Unfortunately, this only made them evenly matched as the battle of magic began. Both opponents threw blow after blow, but each one either missed or became deflected. Wizardmon's previous burst of adrenaline lingered, but he could start to feel the effect of the intense heat and the impure air. The thick smoke made him cough and his eyes watered, blurring his vision. Steadily, his coughs began to get worse.

"When are you going to give up?" Oikawa laughed cruelly.

"When you're dead!" Wizardmon shouted, coughing harshly. "You can't be allowed to live!"

"Oh really?" Oikawa laughed again. "You would destroy me? Knowing that you would kill the human I possess?"

"Yes." Wizardmon nodded solemnly. "And I pray I will be forgiven for such an action. But I have no choice." He twirled his staff, readying another attack. _"Magical—"_

"Hello!"

Wizardmon and Oikawa jumped, turning towards the new voice. But the thick smoke prevented them from seeing anyone.

"Hey!" the voice called again. "I'm from the fire department! Try and come towards my voice and I'll get you out of here!"

_I can't. _Wizardmon thought. _They'll ask too many questions. They'll be afraid of my appearance. _Suddenly, something hard connected with Wizardmon's skull and forced him to the ground. A thick book dropped next to him and Oikawa's feet hurried by, the man crashing through the sliding glass door. Wizardmon stared after him, wondering how in the world the human was supposed to survive a fall off the balcony. But he didn't have too much time to think about it as a pair of arms wrapped around his chest and pulled him up, half-dragging the Majin out the broken door and out to the balcony. In two seconds, Wizardmon realized two things:

One, Ojīsan pulled him out to the crisp, clean night air.

Two, the elderly man pulled himself and the Digimon up and over the railing, falling into the open air.

Wizardmon's eyes widened as the ground approached fast. He kept a tight grip on his staff in one hand and wrapped an arm around Ojīsan, willing himself to fly. Thankfully, the Majin managed to pull up and save himself and his foster grandfather from a lethal fall. But his weakened state hindered his powers and he rose and fell as he flew. He only got so far before he lost the battle against his fatigue and suddenly plummeted. Seconds before hitting the rock-solid ground, Ojīsan suddenly turned so he landed first and cushioned Wizardmon's fall. The wizard Digimon bounced and rolled across the round and hit a brick wall in the alleyway they crashed in. He groaned in pain, pushing himself upright. The cold night air relieved his burning lungs even if the smell of a nearby dumpster made it taste a little nauseating. Wizardmon looked up and noticed Ojīsan lying terrifyingly still, and he stumbled a bit as he hurried over to him.

"Ojīsan?" Wizardmon coughed, his voice still a little raspy, as he knelt beside the elder. "Come on. Tell me you're okay."

Ojīsan opened his eyes to stare tiredly at Wizardmon. "Oh cool your jets. No need to have a heart attack."

Wizardmon looked around frantically, but there wasn't another soul in sight. "I have to get help." His breathing quickened, almost hyperventilating. "I have to get help. I—"

"Would you shut up and listen?" Ojīsan droned. Wizardmon blinked, momentarily forgetting how blunt the elderly man could be when he talked. "Now listen here and don't interrupt me. You and I both know I'm not going to walk away from this."

"But —"

"What did I say?" Ojīsan snapped, coughing a bit. Wizardmon shut his mouth, allowing the elder to continue. "Wizardmon, everyone else is gone. Rika's an orphan now. You're her only family. You have to look after her. Do you understand me?"

Wizardmon nodded. "Yes sir."

"I don't know who that man was that attacked us, but I know he's not fully human." Ojīsan said, his voice getting weaker. "I also know he's the one who used to hurt you so badly. I highly doubt he's fully gone, so you're going to have to protect Rika. Take her and run away, as far away as you can. That man can never get his hands on our sweet little girl. She needs you, Wizardmon. Now more than ever." He took Wizardmon's gloved hand in his own weathered one. "It's a big responsibility. You're going to have to be her brother Ukito, her partner Wizardmon, not to mention her guardian and caretaker. I hate to force it on you but there's no choice. Can you promise me that you'll care for her? That you'll bring her up as best you can?"

By then, tears streamed silently down Wizardmon's cheeks and into his collar, but he managed to swallow back a sob and say, "Yes. I promise I will protect her with my life."

Ojīsan smiled. He reached behind him and pulled around a purse Wizardmon never noticed before, but recognized as one of Mrs. Yamada's. "It's all I could gather. I hope it's enough." He pushed the bag into Wizardmon's hands. "Remember your promise, okay?"

Wizardmon nodded, gripping the purse tightly in his hands. "I will. I promise Rika will have the best life I can give her. It won't be perfect but it will be good."

The elderly man's smile grew. Ojīsan reached up and put a hand on Wizardmon's cheek, brushing the Digimon's tears away with his thumb. "There's the Digimon I know. Good boy." He sighed contently. "Good….boy….." His head fell limp and his hand dropped to the ground.

Wizardmon stared, his dark jade green eyes locking with the elderly's lifeless ones. The Majin trembled fiercely, fresh tears like waterfalls on his face. He reached over and closed his foster grandfather's eyes, but that simple action alone sent him into a round of sobs. Normally, he hated letting his emotions out. But at the moment he hardly cared. Tears cascaded from his eyes to the ground. He let out an anguished scream. Soon, however, he realized that he couldn't stay in one place for very long. Especially not so close to the apartment. Oikawa would surely find him; there was no doubt the possessed human still lived. So the wizard Digimon wiped his eyes dry on his sleeve and stood up, taking his staff in his hands. He looked in the purse and discovered three simple items: Rika's Digivice, her tag and Crest, and her maneki-neko piggy bank.

"Hey! What're you doing down there?"

Wizardmon turned and saw a young couple standing at the entrance to the alleyway. They stared nervously but also a little angrily at him. He glared right back. "Get him to a hospital _now._"

Before the couple could respond, Wizardmon shot up into the sky, flying far away from the smoke of the burning apartment behind him. He never looked back, knowing if he did he would just start crying again. The Majin knew only one place to go that would be safest for him and Rika: the DigiWorld. He finally reached a second-hand electronics store and landed, quickly entering the store. He ignored the stares he received from most of the shoppers; when a couple boys tried to harass him he just pulled down his cowl and growled a little. Just the sight of the sewn-up mouth made the boys scream and run away in terror. Wizardmon dashed down the aisle until he reached a row of TVs in the corner. Looking around for passersby but seeing none, he pulled out Rika's Digivice and pointed it to one of the TVs.

"Digi-port open!" he whispered. In a flash, the TV sucked him in and he touched down in the Digital World.


	21. Flashback Part Five

**Flashback Part Five: "Ghost of a Chance"**

_I could hardly sleep that night, too concerned over how I would explain to Rika that her family no longer lived. When she awoke the next morning, the change of environment surprised her greatly as she expected her bed instead of a tree. Luckily she didn't fall out. But when she looked at me with those big, lavender eyes, asking me why we came to the DigiWorld and what happened, I felt my heart breaking. I couldn't lie to her; I told her the truth. Needless to say, she reacted the way any 8-year-old would: she first went into denial, then began screaming and crying and demanding I take her home. But I couldn't. It wasn't safe. Not that Rika cared. She leaped down the tree she rested in and took off through the forest, searching for something she could use as a gate to go home. I couldn't physically stop her, so I followed her and let her run. I knew there wouldn't be a TV or computer for miles around, so Rika wouldn't be able to return to the Real World. I wanted nothing more than to console her properly, but that's kind of hard when in a spirit form._

_Eventually, Rika tripped over a root and hit the ground, lying there and continuing to cry for several minutes. I stayed right by her side, making sure she could still see me. It took a while, but she finally managed to calm down and sit up, her eyes gone of tears. I assured her I would always protect her and that we would make a new life in the Digital World, and that somehow it was going to be just as good as her life in the Real World. She looked me in the eye and said she trusted me; that she knew we would make it work. She smiled at me, but I could tell this smile wasn't like her usual one. Rika's smile used to make me happy even when I felt so depressed. She never smiled like that again. It was as though she fully embraced the darkness of her Crest._

_Since then, Rika and I traveled around the Digital World. I hoped we would encounter Gatomon, but we never did. Honestly, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do if we _did _come into contact with my old friend. Would she be angry? Burst into tears? Had she changed very much since I last saw her? Eventually, I gave up all hope of finding Gatomon and focused on Rika. I managed to change her wooden sword into a real one so she could protect herself during the day. Her martial arts training really came in handy, and she practiced every day. Any Digimon that attacked us would either receive a beating from Rika or a few magical blasts from myself. I didn't even realize it, but she started growing up faster than an 8-year-old should. She still held a playful nature that sometimes made me laugh, but her personality grew darker and darker as the months passed. No longer would I look at her and see that adorable little girl who shared a dance with me. It was a small victory for Myotismon; he wanted a DigiDestined of Darkness, and he got one._

_But as Rika and I finished our travels around the Digital World, I realized even worse problems arose. First off, some human boy claiming himself the Digimon Emperor started creating Control Spires and Dark Rings, enslaving and torturing Digimon all over the DigiWorld. Rika and I hardly found a moment's rest as we battled Digimon controlled by those terrible Dark Rings. The Control Spires prevented me from digivolving for a long time before Rika stumbled across an Armor Digi-Egg. We were just hiding in a cave and discovered three Digi-Eggs, two of which I would later discover belonged to Patamon and Gatomon. The third one was pure black with some sort of white and gold armor plating around it, coupled with a small pair of black wings sticking out the sides. Rika's Crest of Darkness symbol seemed etched into front of the egg. When she picked it up, it became absorbed into her Digivice and I gained the ability to Armor Digivolve to Dynasmon._

_Soon after that, I made two horrifying discoveries._

_One day, while spying on the Digimon Emperor's base, Rika suggested she meditate while I, in spirit form, go inside the base to find out more about our enemy. So I did, floating around and searching for the elusive boy. I found him, and for the thousandth time I felt a sense of remembrance as though I had seen the boy before. It wasn't until his Digimon, Wormmon, came and called him "Ken" did I realize it was the youngest Ichijōji boy. I wanted to reveal myself, to ask him why he came to the Digital World to cause such trouble. Instead, I decided to read his mind and search his memories. I never did find the answers to my questions; a harsh, cruel laughter rang out through Ken's skull and therefore mine. As the voice spoke to the corrupted boy, my second horrifying discover came: this was Myotismon's doing._

_I returned to Rika on the verge of a panic attack, unable to tell her why. But I could tell her the Digimon Emperor's true identity, and she started freaking out too. I knew we needed to help Ken; bad enough he negatively affected Rika, but I couldn't let that happen to someone like Ken. He was such a kind boy; while in his base I found a strange golden Digi-Egg with the Crest of Kindness on it, now black with corruption._

_Then it hit me. Ken was a DigiDestined, so was Wormmon, just like Kari and Gatomon or Rika and myself. I knew I couldn't just tell him that; he needed to realize it himself. To recover the kindness in his heart and uncover that Digi-Egg in his base, he needed to be shown kindness. And there was only one way to do it: to go back to the Real World and find the DigiDestined. Rika looked very surprised that I suggested it, considering our extended time away from the Real World. But I assured her everything would be fine, that I had a plan. I would never be able to explicitly tell the DigiDestined about Myotismon's involvement, but there might be a way to give them hints on how to at least help Ken. The next problem became how to find them. I knew exactly where to go; the one place I knew Kari and Gatomon would find me if I caused enough commotion._

After about five days of "haunting" the Fuji TV Station, Wizardmon began to feel the frustration setting in. He decided to take a break and joined Rika in the empty office she hid in. Luckily, the office went under renovations at the time and nobody would go in, so Rika could meditate with ease and help Wizardmon move as a spirit throughout the station.

Rika smiled in amusement as Wizardmon floated in, looking quite irritated. "Something tells me you aren't happy."

Wizardmon groaned. "I just can't believe it. I've shown myself as a shadow through their monitors, put my voice into their recordings, I even started moving about the hallways just to really freak them out! But they haven't come yet. And I know the father of two of the DigiDestined works there!"

"Give it time." Rika assured. "They'll come."

"Unfortunately, we really don't have much time." Wizardmon said. "We have to get this done and return to the Digital World to fight the Digimon Emperor."

"So what are you going to do?" Rika asked.

Wizardmon sighed. "I'm going to give my greatest performance yet. I'm pulling out all the stops. If they don't come when I'm through, I'll eat my hat."

"I'll get the green chili sauce." Rika joked.

"Just get back to meditating." Wizardmon ordered.

The Majin disappeared, back over to the other side of the TV station. He focused his strength and power, knowing this would take a lot out of him and Rika. But desperate times called for desperate measures.

Storm clouds rolled in and covered the skies; blue lightning bolts (an extension of Wizardmon's Magical Game attack) shot down towards the TV station. One bolt hit the metal structure and the power suddenly went out. The ghostly Wizardmon, now only a shadow, shot around the station and floated along the walls, floors, and ceilings. Everyone in the building started panicking and ran off to the nearest exits, terrified out of their wits. _Come on, come on! _Wizardmon growled. _You have to come sooner or later! _His desperation caused his movements to quicken, and his shadowy form hurriedly shot all around the station.

Finally, he felt it; a new yet very familiar aura entering the Fuji TV Station, followed by several others. _Gatomon…_ The shadow's form moved to the viewing platform, unconsciously remembering its exact location. Few pieces of furniture rested in the room, but one thing that made the most difference was the computer on a nearby desk. The computer switched on, letters and numbers appearing randomly and scrolling across the screen. A ghostly voice echoed throughout the room, speaking mostly in stutters instead of coherent words. The shadow darted around like a hyperactive fly.

Gatomon darted into the room on all fours, stopping upon entering and standing on her hind legs. She could hear the voice, that familiar voice she hadn't heard in so long, and looked up to see a spooky shadow flying about the room almost in a frantic frenzy.

"Gatomon!" Kari called as she and the others finally caught up. They all looked up to see the shadow, which they assumed was the ghost terrorizing everybody, circling the chandelier on the ceiling almost fervently. "What is that?" Kari breathed. Suddenly, the furniture began to shake and a deck of cards flew off the desk as though blown by the wind, hitting the DigiDestined.

"What does it want?" Davis asked frantically as the ghost continued to fly about the room. The echoing voice sent shivers up everyone's spine and fear began to grasp at their hearts.

All except Gatomon. "It wants me." She took several steps forward. "I'm here! That's enough! I'm right here! What do you want?" The shadow started slowing down, his movements less frantic.

"Davis, I think she flipped her lid." DemiVeemon said.

"What's that?" Davis asked, paying too much attention to the ghost.

DemiVeemon, Poromon, and Upamon jumped to the ground. "Let's do something!" Upamon urged.

"Are you guys sure this is a good idea?" Yolei asked worriedly.

"We've got to save Gatomon!" Poromon insisted.

"_DemiVeemon digivolve to….Veemon!"_

"_Upamon digivolve to…..Armadillomon!"_

"_Poromon digivolve to….Hawkmon!"_

"They digivolved!" Yolei gasped, shocked by the action.

"I assume that's a servant of the Digimon Emperor. Sent here to frighten us." Hawkmon said. "If a Digimon is in the Real World, it has to be an enemy."

"He doesn't stand a ghost of a chance!" Davis boasted.

"Good one." Kari groaned.

"Ready?" Veemon called, spurring his two friends to charge towards the shadow.

But Gatomon turned and stepped in their path. "Wait!" The three Digimon stopped, staring at her with confused looks. Gatomon looked back towards the shadow. "I'm here!"

The computer screen froze, and the writing previously on it disappeared. Gatomon's name became spelled out, and the echoing voice spoke it. Gatomon's name appeared numerous times as the screen scrolled up.

_You're here. _Wizardmon thought. _You're really here._

_Did you expect anything less? _Rika's voice echoed in his head.

"I'm here." Gatomon told the ghost, her voice coming out a bit softer. Everyone looked to the ghost, who finally seemed to speak legible words. Or rather, word…

"It's calling Gatomon!" Cody realized.

_Rika, I need to appear to them. _Wizardmon said. _In my full ghost form, not as a shadow._

_Okay. _Rika affirmed. _But do what you need to do and then get out of there. This is going to take a lot of energy and I'm already tired as it is._

_I'll hurry. Just do it! _Wizardmon's shadowy form drifted down the wall, over the windows, and to the floor, creeping up until he rested just a few feet from Gatomon.

The white cat's eyes stayed locked on the shadow. _Could it be? It's really him. _"Wizardmon!"

The original eight DigiDestined's eyes widened and they all gasped. None of them could believe it, assuming Gatomon lost her mind completely. Then, a navy blue wizard's hat with a skull appeared from the floor, the shadow steadily materializing until a familiar figure stood before Gatomon.

Wizardmon's ghost.

"Gatomon." Wizardmon breathed. _My friend. You haven't changed a bit. Except for that new light in your eyes; the light of hopefulness and love. It's nice to see. _"I'm glad you've come."

"Wizardmon!" Kari said happily. In fact, all but Davis, Cody, Yolei, and their Digimon looked overjoyed to see their old friend who was taken from them four years ago. The newest DigiDestined just looked confused, unsure what to make of this ghostly Digimon that everyone else seemed to know so well.

"A friend?" Cody asked.

"I sure hope so!" Yolei gulped a little.

Gatomon paid no attention to them, staring happily at her long-lost friend. "Wizardmon. It's good to see you again. You were calling me, weren't you?"

_Speed it along, Wizardmon. _Rika's voice came a little strained.

_Right. _Wizardmon kept his gaze on Gatomon, fighting the urge to run forward and hug her. "I need to tell you something, Gatomon."

Gatomon turned more serious. "What is it, old friend?"

Those words made his heart hurt even more, but the Majin stayed serious. "Your great enemy. You cannot beat him as you are now."

"Does he….does he mean the Digimon Emperor." Davis asked.

"Your enemy is not the Digimon Emperor, but a much greater darkness." Wizardmon felt nothing squeezing his throat, so he continued. "The darkness….it cannot be defeated with your strength alone. You must return the one wrapped in darkness to his true self."

"What?" Gatomon blinked in confused. "'True self'?"

"Kindness will release the Golden Radiance." Wizardmon said carefully, waiting for some invisible force to stop him. But none came. _So far, so good._

_Wizardmon…_

_I'm almost done. Just hang on._

"Kindness?" Yolei scoffed. "I hope he doesn't mean we have to be nice to Ken."

_That's pretty much what I'm saying. _Wizardmon thought. He kept his eyes locked with Gatomon's. "Kindness alone will not prevail, Gatomon. The Golden Radiance is also necessary."

_Wizardmon, you're running out of time._

Gatomon seemed to understand, because she nodded. "I understand."

"You don't have much time." Wizardmon said quickly, sensing Rika beginning to pull him back. "The time is near." He looked to the rest of the DigiDestined. "Hurry, all of you."

"Us?" Veemon asked, a little nervously.

_I'm sorry, Wizardmon. It's time to go._

_I know. _Wizardmon looked to Gatomon, but spoke to the DigiDestined. "Take care of Gatomon."

"Wizardmon!" Gatomon cried, her voice cracking. She reached out a paw, stepping closer to Wizardmon. The Majin stared for a brief moment before lifting a gloved hand and extending it to meet Gatomon's paw. He longed to hold her close, to comfort her and tell her everything would be all right. But cruel reality took a devastating blow when Gatomon's paw pushed right through Wizardmon's hand. She stared, gasping a little and tears welling up in her eyes. Wizardmon, fighting tears of his own, withdrew his arm and stared at this gloved hands, mentally noting how easily he could see the floor just by looking through himself. He swallowed a sob and looked back at Gatomon, her glassy sapphire eyes further shattering his heart.

"I'm sorry." Wizardmon sighed. _For everything, Gatomon. I'm sorry for so many things and I can only pray that you will forgive me. _He felt a force pulling him backwards, away from Gatomon and returning to Rika. But Gatomon gasped and suddenly ran forward, desperation and sorrow in her eyes as she tried to catch up with her friend, calling his name. Wizardmon shook a little, so many emotions waging war in his chest. He felt anger, because Myotismon's cruelty and evil put him into this situation; despair, because he should've known Gatomon would react like this; sorrow, because he missed Gatomon and longed to fight by her side. And clearly, she wanted him by her side as well.

_I hate my life. _Wizardmon thought bitterly.

Wizardmon floated through the window and continued on, but Gatomon hit the solid glass and could go no further. "Wizardmon!" she cried.

"Hurry!" Wizardmon called before Gatomon disappeared from view through the fog. He stared after her, immense sadness replacing all other emotions inside him.

Rika sighed as Wizardmon returned within her. "I'm sorry I couldn't give you more time, Wizardmon. But it does take a lot of energy to bring you out as a spirit when you're so far away, especially for such an extensive amount of time and with you using so much power. I'll start practicing so it won't take so much out of me. And maybe next time I won't do it on an empty stomach." She waited for a response, but felt Wizardmon's energy change to one full of sorrow. "Wizardmon? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine….." Wizardmon sighed.

Rika sighed too. "You really miss that Gatomon character, don't you?"

Within Rika's body, Wizardmon's spirit allowed some tears to run down his cheeks. "Yes….very much so…" He took a shuddering breath and wiped his eyes dry on his sleeve. "Come on; we have to get back to the DigiWorld."

"Okay." Rika nodded. She stood up and began walking off. "Are you sure you're okay, Wizardmon?"

"I will be soon after we leave this place." Wizardmon assured. "It's just been so long since I saw Gatomon. I can't reveal to her that I'm alive. Not now, anyway…"

Rika smiled. "You're a really good friend. Gatomon's really lucky."

Wizardmon smiled softly. "Thank you, Rika." His smile disappeared. "But listen carefully. We cannot reveal ourselves to the DigiDestined. We belong—"

"In the shadows and the darkness." Rika finished. "I know. You've taught me well, Wizardmon. I will do as you ask." She paused for a moment. "But understand this: I'm only going to follow your command until I decide that I need to do what I believe is best. And you're going to have to live with that."

Wizardmon didn't answer, his face emotionless as stone.

* * *

><p><em>At first, I did feel a little angry at Rika for exposing us to the DigiDestined. I greatly feared that Gatomon would look upon me with hatred and contempt for not showing myself. Then, she looked at me with those tear-filled eyes and tackled me in a hug, and I knew at once what a big mistake I made. When did it become so necessary to stay so much in the darkness that I became blind to everyone else around me? In the time we spent with the DigiDestined, reunited with Gatomon and Kari, I slowly began to notice how they acted so much like a family. The laughter, the jokes, mixed and balanced with some turmoil and arguments. When you're a DigiDestined, you're a part of a unique little family that not many people can experience.<em>

_Looking back, I realize now how disconnected I was from this family. Just like before I first met Gatomon, loneliness and sorrow hardened my heart and forced me to think that I needed to shield my emotions to protect the people I cared about from harm. But as I think about all those times I cut myself off and hid my emotions, now I see the hurt faces and the concerned looks. How did I not see it sooner? How could I be so blind to the love and care everyone showed towards me?_

_Kari and Tai, who gave me a new home._

_Gatomon, who stayed my friend to the very end. _

_The DigiDestined kids, old and new, who accepted me into their group._

_Rika, my own baby sister, who stood by me from day one….._

…_.the little girl that I always loved…._

_How is it I had to come so close to death to realize how much I loved Rika?_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: What's really funny about Rika's "green chili sauce" comment is that in the Japanese dub, the bottle was actually some sort of alcohol that Wizardmon told DemiDevimon he got drunk on (he lied, of course, but it was pretty funny). Also, for the scene from "Ghost of a Chance," I used a mixture of the English dub dialogue and Japanese dub dialogue. No matter how much I enjoy the English dub, I will agree that the Japanese dub has many more good points.**

**And now the flashback series is over! Stay tuned!**


	22. Country Roads

**A/N: I don't own "Country Roads" from the movie "Whisper of the Heart." I'm borrowing it here for the chapter title and for reasons you will see later in the chapter. **

* * *

><p><strong>Country Roads<strong>

The invisible forces continued to pull until Wizardmon and Rika suddenly lost their grips and they flew away from each other. The golden spheres disappeared as the human and Digimon were thrown from each other and crashed to the ground. Rika bounced and rolled a bit before she ended up in a sitting position, her back slamming against a rock. She sat there, looking unconscious. Wizardmon also took a few tumbles before hitting a rock and slumping to the ground, lying on his back and unmoving.

Gatomon gasped, running/stumbling on all fours over to her friend. "Wizardmon! Wizardmon, are you okay?"

Kari half-crawled, half-ran over to Rika. "Rika! Rika, say something!"

Arukenimon and Mummymon stared in shock. "I don't believe it! They actually split apart!" Mummymon breathed.

"That shouldn't be possible." Arukenimon murmured. "No matter. We'll destroy them anyway."

Kari turned with a glare and a growl, her eyes locking onto Arukenimon and Mummymon before flicking over to Rika's fallen sword. The DigiDestined of Light pushed herself unsteadily to her feet and scooped up Rika's sword, holding it threateningly. "It's bad enough to attack when we least expect it, but to attack us while we're already wounded is just cruel!"

"Do you really think lecturing us will stop your demise?" Arukenimon laughed. _"Spider Thread!" _

The red ropes easily smacked Kari to the ground, but the stubborn brunette pushed herself upright and readied Rika's sword again. "I don't care what it takes…." She panted a little, her arms trembling from just lifting the weight of the steel and wood in her hands. "….you won't hurt my friends…not while I'm still breathing!"

"You won't be breathing for very long." Arukenimon chuckled darkly as she and Mummymon advanced casually.

As Kari talked and mentally readied herself for a fight, Gatomon continued to try and wake her wizard friend. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she shook Wizardmon, praying for at least movement. But Wizardmon remained terrifyingly still. "Wizardmon! Come on, please wake up! Don't leave me, Wizardmon!"

Kari managed to slice through Mummymon's Snake Bandage attack but barely had time to jump away from the laser blasts from his gun.

"You promised you wouldn't leave me ever again!" Gatomon cried, lying her head on Wizardmon's chest and her claws digging into his vest. "Don't give up, Wizardmon! You're strong! You can fight back!"

Kari shouted in pain as Arukenimon brutally smacked her to the ground. She fought to stand, but her strength was gone.

"_Please wake up Wizardmon!" _Gatomon sobbed. _"I need you!"_

Jade green eyes shot open.

Kari groaned in pain, staring a little fearfully up at Arukenimon and Mummymon. "Prepare to die, little brat." Arukenimon laughed. "Mummymon, care to do the honors?"

"My pleasure." Mummymon raised his gun and shot the white blast.

"_Electro Squall!"_

A bolt of yellow lightning clashed with the white blast before it could come close to Kari, who flinched and covered her head as smoke flew everywhere. When the dust and smoke cleared, Gatomon bounded weakly over to Kari and smiled warmly. The feline gestured behind Kari, and the brunette turned and stared in shock.

"Rika?" she breathed. "Wizardmon?"

The DigiDestined of Darkness stood tall and proud, both human and Digimon looking a little tired but also very, _very _angry. "Did I or did I not just tell those two not to hurt my family?" Rika asked her Digimon.

"I believe you did." Wizardmon confirmed, his grip tight on his staff.

"You're alive? And you split apart?" Arukenimon gasped. "That's impossible."

"It's plenty possible." Rika assured. "Now you have one chance to run away before we force you."

"You can't make us to anything!" Mummymon boasted.

Rika sighed. "Well, they asked for it. What do you say, Wizardmon? Shall we give them a taste of Baalmon?"

"It would be my pleasure." Wizardmon nodded.

Rika smiled and pulled her Digivice from her pocket. "Okay. Let's do it! Digivolve!"

Wizardmon's form glowed in a bright golden light. His jumper and vest merged and turned white, his boots turning black. One of his sleeves extended to cover his arm, which now seemed to be fashioned into a gun. His other arm extended greatly and his cape turned white and black on the inside. His cowl also turned white, and a sort of facemask covered his face from the eyes down. His hat became a bandana, hardly able to keep his unkempt hair out of his now red eyes. His sun-topped staff became a short sword.

"_Wizardmon digivolve to….Baalmon!"_

Kari and Gatomon stared in awe. "Whoa…." Kari breathed. "So _that's _Wizardmon's Ultimate form."

"He looks cool!" Gatomon exclaimed.

Baalmon lunged forward, slashing his sword at Arukenimon and Mummymon. The two evil Digimon dodged the blow and lunged for twin attacks, but Baalmon's intense speed and ninja-like skill caused them to miss every single time. He fired laser-like bullets from his twin barrel gun, causing his opponents to almost dance around to avoid getting shot. Finally, Baalmon managed to jump up and kick Mummymon into Arukenimon and force the two of them to the ground. He stood over his fallen opponents, aiming his gun for their heads. The two evil Digimon cowered, waiting for their destruction. But Baalmon didn't move for several moments.

"You…aren't going to destroy us?" Mummymon gulped.

Baalmon scoffed. "Luckily for you, that would give me no pleasure. So I'm going to give you the chance to get out of here and leave us alone. Because if I ever find you attacking someone while they're already wounded I'm going to put holes in your skulls. Now scram."

Arukenimon and Mummymon didn't need to be told twice; they scrambled to their car, changed into their human forms, and sped away as fast as they could. Baalmon rolled his eyes and dedigivolved to Wizardmon.

Rika smiled warmly. "I see you haven't lost your touch."

"Being merged with you for four years can't ruin that." Wizardmon smirked under his cowl.

Rika laughed. Then she came forward and pulled Wizardmon into a tight hug. "Man, it's been a long time since I could do this."

Wizardmon returned the embrace with a content sigh. "Yeah. It's nice to be able to do it again."

The two of them parted and smiled at each other. Wizardmon turned and hurried over to Kari and Gatomon, Rika close behind. "You two okay?" she asked, helping Kari sit up and lean against a rock.

Kari smiled warmly. "I am now. You two finally split."

"How did you do it?" Gatomon asked, allowing Wizardmon to pick her up and cradle her in his arms.

"It was Wizardmon who did it." Rika said, looking to her Digimon partner.

Wizardmon nodded. "Because I finally admitted to myself that I really did love Rika; that I considered her my sister. For the longest time, I thought that I brought pain to the people I cared about by showing how close I held them to my heart. When in reality, it was _not _showing them how much I cared that really hurt them."

"So, you two are now living on your own?" Kari guessed. "You don't need each other's spirits or anything?"

"Our minds, spirits, and physical bodies are no longer connected." Rika confirmed. "So we won't be able to read each other's thoughts or need to worry about switching when the sun rises and sets."

"Rika's Life Flame was merged with mine for so long that it became regenerated and healthy again." Wizardmon explained. "But something or someone stopped us from splitting because of me."

"But who?" Gatomon asked.

"Who cares?" Rika shrugged. "We're split now, and that's what matters. I can stay out of the fights and Wizardmon can help out more often. I have my brother back. That's all that matters." She looked around to the still-unconscious DigiDestined. "Right now we have to worry about everyone else."

"What do we do?" Wizardmon asked. "We certainly can't take everyone home wounded like this. I could magically heal the Digimon, but my powers don't work so well on humans. I won't be able to magically heal _all _of them."

Rika pursed her lips in thought. She stood up and looked around. "Hey! You know where we are? We're near that village where MarineAngemon lives."

"Really?" Wizardmon asked, looking around. "Well that's an odd yet lucky coincidence. Maybe he can help."

"We shouldn't be too far off." Rika said. "I'll run over and grab some help. Wizardmon, you stay here and watch over them."

"Can do." Wizardmon nodded. Rika turned and took off, disappearing into the trees.

"Who's MarineAngemon?" Gatomon asked.

"A very kind Digimon with special healing powers." Wizardmon said. "He runs a hospital and should be able to help you all. Just rest for now, and we'll have you good as new in no time."

Gatomon smiled, curling up closer to Wizardmon's chest. "I'm really glad you're back, Wizardmon."

Wizardmon held Gatomon close, moving over to Kari. "And I am _very _happy to be here with you."

* * *

><p>"I brought them!" Rika waved as she came running over to her friends. By the time she returned, the DigiDestined all woke up but still couldn't move much from their pain and tiredness. They turned to Rika as she approached and noticed an entourage of Digimon with her. A small, pink, pixie-like Digimon with a red heart on his chest and what looked like a golden collar around his neck floated by Rika's side. Several flower-like Digimon called Floramon followed close behind, joined by a herd of white, dog type Digimon with magenta ears and tails and three large claws on each foot. These dogs were called Labramon. Two extra figures stood out to T.K.<p>

"No way." T.K. breathed. "Is it really you guys? The same ones from Shibuya?"

Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon smiled warmly as they came to T.K.'s side. "Yeah T.K. It's us." Pumpkinmon said. "We had to hide when the Digimon Emperor ruled, but we got reconfigured no problem after Myotismon…" He gulped a little, shuddering at the memory of his death. But he shook it off as T.K. pulled the two of them into a hug.

"When Rika mentioned the DigiDestined, those two hurriedly came by and asked if you were okay." MarineAngemon said. "They live in the village and led Rika to me. I understand you're all in a predicament."

"Well, as you can see, we're a little beat up." Ken said a little sheepishly. "Except for Rika and Wizardmon, it would seem."

"How are you alive?" Davis asked incredulously.

"Before Rika was hit I created a protective barrier around her." Wizardmon replied. "It shielded her from most of the blow but also greatly weakened myself."

"Wow." Chibomon breathed. "Wizardmon, you rule."

"All right, enough chit chat from all of you!" MarineAngemon scolded gently. "Rika explained to me that you need to look good as new before you go home so your parents don't ask questions and whatnot. Luckily for you, my workers and I are the perfect Digimon for the job. I don't want any of you to move or do anything at all. I will heal you with my healing powers and the Floramon will give you a nice massage. The Labramon will keep you company and play with you. A positive attitude helps forget pain, and these guys love to play fetch." In response, the Labramon all barked excitedly and wagged their tails, and the DigiDestined noticed each dog Digimon held a red rubber ball in their mouths.

"What should we do?" Gotsumon asked.

"You two stay with T.K." MarineAngemon instructed. "Keep him company."

"Great, we're Labramon." Pumpkinmon sighed.

"Please don't ask us to play fetch." Gotsumon requested to T.K., who only laughed and assured them he wouldn't.

"All right!" MarineAngemon's voice brought everyone to attention. "Rika and Wizardmon, stand aside and we'll take care of everything."

"How can we ever thank you?" Rika and Wizardmon bowed to the pixie Digimon.

"Don't think anything of it." MarineAngemon said. "But you really should stop by for tea sometime. We need to catch up."

He, the Floramon, and the Labramon quickly got to work. MarineAngemon used his Ocean Love move that encased each of his patients in a capsule of water, leaving their faces exposed to let them breathe while the magical waters did their job. When MarineAngemon finished healing, the Floramon stepped in to clean the human or Digimon's face and massage their muscles. The Labramon cuddled lovingly with the DigiDestined, licking their faces and playing fetch. Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon talked with T.K. and Patamon, eagerly asking about Matt and Gabumon and how things were in Shibuya. One by one, the DigiDestined's wounds disappeared and they looked good as new despite their lingering fatigue. But already the light began to return to their eyes and the youthful glows to their faces.

Rika walked over to Cody. "Hey Cody. I want to apologize. Earlier I hurt you and I shouldn't have. I was angry, and I chose to take it out on you."

Cody smiled softly. "It's okay, Rika. I guess I'm not giving Ken a chance to truly change. Wizardmon's right; I need to let go of my anger or we'll never win." He took Rika's hand in his. "Don't worry, Rika. I still think you're a great friend."

Rika smiled and the two of them shared a hug before the Floramon shooed Rika away to let Cody continue healing. The raven-haired girl nodded and walked off. Wizardmon smiled to Rika, who mirrored his grin as she joined him. They both sat on a couple rocks and watched as their friends steadily started looking better and better. Wizardmon's smile then changed to a small frown. "You know, I've been thinking about something."

"What's that?" Rika asked.

"What did you mean when you said your life would've had no meaning if you never met me?" Wizardmon asked.

Rika thought back to the moment she said that and shrugged. "Just what that sentence means. I really did mean it when I said my life had no meaning before I met you."

"But your life seemed so perfect." Wizardmon said.

"Yeah." Rika scoffed. "Perfect family, perfect school, perfect life. Except I didn't have very many close friends besides Ken and Sam. And I always felt like something was missing from my life. Even though I seemed to have everything I could've wanted, it was like there was a hole in my heart and I couldn't fill it." She looked to Wizardmon. "Then I found you. And my life changed forever." She smiled warmly. "I'm indebted to you, Wizardmon."

Wizardmon stared for a moment before smiling as well, and he took Rika's hand in his and gave it a comforting squeeze. _That smile…that beautiful smile I didn't see for so long….I thought I'd never see it again._

"Ow!"

Davis's outburst made many of them jump. "Oh do hold still, sir!" one of the Floramon scolded.

"You're crushing my muscles!" Davis whined.

"It's called a deep tissue massage!" a second Floramon snapped. "And based on how tense your shoulders feel, you need it."

"I'm not tense." Davis muttered.

"In my personal opinion, I believe we are _all _very irritable after what just happened." Hawkmon sighed.

"What happened?" asked a Floramon rubbing Armadillomon's shell.

"We kind of got our butts handed to us by a nasty Digimon called BlackWarGreymon." Patamon said.

"Oh dear." MarineAngemon murmured worriedly. "A regular WarGreymon is scary enough, but an evil one?"

"How on earth did you survive?" A Floramon gasped, rubbing Leafmon's head.

"We almost didn't." Ken admitted. "If it wasn't for Rika and Wizardmon, we probably wouldn't be alive right now."

"Yeah, great." Davis groaned. "Now we just need to wait here for BlackWarGreymon to destroy us." The Labramon he played with whined and rested his head in the boy's lap.

"Well that's not a very helpful attitude." Patamon said. "Come on guys, stay hopeful. We're the DigiDestined; we can do anything."

"It's just a little hard to stay hopeful when you're beat so badly." Ken sighed. "Sometimes encouraging words aren't enough."

"I know what to do." Rika said, pulling her violin case off her back. "We'll sing a song."

"Seriously?" Cody sighed. "I know you're trying to help, Rika, but this isn't a cartoon. We aren't going to magically become energized by singing a cute little song."

"You think so now, but just wait." Rika assured, tuning her violin. "My family used to gather together every night just to sing a song, and even if I had the worst day ever I could always count on that time of the evening to lift my spirits. So we're going to do it now."

"If you say so." Kari said a little uncertainly. "Not many of us can actually sing."

"Don't worry about it." Rika waved dismissively.

"Yeah, let's do it." Davis droned sarcastically. "After all, it's a violin. Perfect for our situation." He started mimicking the movement of playing a violin, vocalizing a sad, "Woe is Me" kind of song. He yelped in pain when Rika whacked him on the head with her violin put the bow to her instrument and began to play. Much to everyone's surprise, the notes came out brisk and bright, already sounding like a happy song. MarineAngemon, Gotsumon, Pumpkinmon, the Floramon, and the Labramon bobbed their heads and smiled, but the DigiDestined didn't seem very happy. Still, their frowns began to disappear when Rika began to sing.

"_I dreamed of living alone but fearless  
>Secret longing to be courageous<br>Loneliness kept bottled up inside  
>Just reveal your brave face<br>They'll never know you lie_

_Country road  
>May lead me home<br>Know I belong there  
>All on my own<br>Destiny calls  
>Motionless I stall<br>Know I can't go  
>Country Road<em>

_No matter how dark the world's inside me  
>I'll never stop to show a tear that I've shed<br>But now I have to walk so fast  
>Running, sprinting, to forget<br>What is lodged in my head."_

Nobody would admit it out loud, but Rika maybe had a point about singing to uplift hopes. The music and the words carried to the wounded warriors and soon they began nodding in time to the tune. Gatomon began clapping the rhythm, and when Rika reached the chorus for the second time, she sang along with her. One by one, every DigiDestined human and Digimon, along with their generous healers, sang along with the raven-haired girl.

Wizardmon stayed silent. He never felt comfortable joining with the Yamada family's musicale part of their evenings. He never really sang much, and he only knew how to play the ocarina flute. He still kept the one Obāsan gave him, tucked away in his pocket and only coming out when Wizardmon found he couldn't sleep at night. Only now, his hands unconsciously moved to bring out the clay instrument. He stared at the ocarina, his heart heavy with sorrow.

"_Country road  
>May lead me home<br>Know I belong there  
>All on my own<br>Destiny calls  
>Motionless I stall<br>Know I can't go  
>Country road."<em>

Rika turned to Wizardmon and, while still playing without a pause, nudged him with her shoulder. She smiled encouragingly, gesturing down to the flute in his hands. Wizardmon hesitated, not wanting to remember the terrible things that happened to him. But then he thought back to all the good experiences he had with his human family. The way they treated him like their own. Family outings, going to town or Kyoto. Spending the nights using a couch as a bed. Ever since he lost his home in Witchenly, he never knew what it was like to belong somewhere or have people to care. Gatomon was his only friend, and for a while she was a distant friend at the least.

_I still have a lot to learn about family, don't I? _Wizardmon thought.

"_Country road  
>La la la la<br>You're a good friend I'll never know  
>Same tomorrow<br>Regret and sorrow  
>Can't take you home<br>Country road."_

Wizardmon finally smiled softly and pulled down his cowl to put the ocarina to his lips. He began to play a soft yet fast-paced tune to match the music, everyone else clapping or tapping on rocks like drums. At the end of the song, everyone laughed and smiled, feeling much happier since what happened.

Still angry, upset, and very much disappointed over their loss, but at least a little happier than before.


	23. Opposites Attract

**Episode 31: Opposites Attract**

Rika had a skip in her step as she entered the school's computer lab the next day. The rest of the DigiDestined waited for her. "Hey guys!"

"Hey Rika." Davis waved. "Who's the weirdo with you?"

Everyone else turned to see the "weirdo" Davis referred to: a boy about Rika's height wearing jeans, black sneakers, a long-sleeved forest green turtleneck, a pair of familiar-looking brown gloves, and a navy blue bandana around his mouth and nose. His striking green eyes, grayish skin, and long blonde hair with bangs hanging in his face looked oddly familiar.

The boy reached up and pulled his bandana down, revealing a stitched-up mouth that made Davis jump in shock. "Who are you calling a weirdo?" Wizardmon demanded.

"Wow!" Yolei laughed. "Nice outfit, Wizardmon! You look like a regular human!"

"Arukenimon and Mummymon aren't the only ones who can change their appearance." Wizardmon pulled the bandana back over his mouth. "It's nothing fancy, but at least now nobody will stare. Plus, I can easily change it back into my normal clothes whenever I want and I can still Digivolve. Whenever I'm in this form you can just call me Ukito."

"Sounds good to me." T.K. nodded.

"So how are you guys?" Rika asked. "Another normal day at school?"

"Yes." Cody nodded.

"How boring." Rika shook her head. "I am so glad I don't go to school."

"Tell me about it." T.K. sighed. "We needed this like a hole in the head."

"I think that's exactly BlackWarGreymon's plan." Davis said.

Gatomon growled a little. "If he even _looks _at Kari the wrong way, I'll put a hole in _his _head. I don't care if he _is _a Mega!"

"Very courageous, but crazy." T.K. said. "Even if you could digivolve to Ultimate, which let me remind you you can't, he's too powerful."

"If the rest of you could DNA Digivolve, he'd be toast." DemiVeemon boasted.

"This coming from the guy who got his tail handed to him." Wizardmon pointed out.

"Think you could have more of an attitude, little guy?" Davis huffed towards his Digimon.

DemiVeemon laughed. "How rude." Patamon sighed. "But he's right; we're useless."

"Maybe we could practice." Poromon suggested. "But who with?"

"Yeah, who's my partner?" Upamon asked.

Gatomon put a paw to her mouth in thought. "Hmm…..good question. You're all so young and inexperienced."

"But we'll learn quick." Poromon promised.

"You'll have to." Patamon said.

"Out of all of us, Gatomon, Patamon, and I are the only ones who can better tackle such a problem." Wizardmon said. "We've each gained plenty of experience through numerous fights. Maybe you and I could be partners, Gatomon."

"Sounds great!" Gatomon agreed.

"What about me?" Patamon asked. "I wanna be your partner, Wizardmon!"

"I don't think we get a choice." Rika said.

"What do you mean?" Cody asked.

"I mean, DNA Digivolving is probably a lot more technical than we think." Rika explained. "Sure, we get the ability to combine two Digimon into a sort of hybrid that's really strong, but I don't think just any two Digimon can do it. First off, I think the two Digimon have to be in their Champion forms first. Then there must be a connection between the two Digimon and maybe even between their two human partners. Like Ken and Stingmon with Davis and ExVeemon. They share a strong bond of friendship and perhaps that's why Stingmon and ExVeemon DNA Digivolve. My theory is that the only way the rest of the Digimon can DNA Digivolve is by doing it with someone they connect with, or by their partners connecting."

"Sounds logical." T.K. nodded. "Now the question becomes how to figure out partners."

"Plus, we have an odd number of Digimon." Poromon pointed out. "ExVeemon DNA Digivolved with Stingmon, so they're partners. Now it's just me, Upamon, Patamon, Gatomon, and Wizardmon. One of us is going to be left out."

"Maybe not." Upamon said hopefully. "Maybe another DigiDestined will join us."

_Oh great. _T.K. thought with a soft smile. _It'll be like searching for the Eighth Child all over again._

"I'm sure we'll figure it out along the road." Rika shrugged. "Right now we have bigger problems. BlackWarGreymon to name one."

"I can't believe BlackWarGreymon dissed Arukenimon liked that." Yolei said. "Not that I blame him."

"I think she was as surprised as we were." Cody said. "BlackWarGreymon's a loose cannon."

_He had a chance to attack me, but he didn't. _Rika thought. _I wonder why. _"He _is _different from other Control Spire Digimon. All of Arukenimon's other creations were only mindless drones, knowing nothing except to follow orders. But BlackWarGreymon's so strong he must've developed the ability to think for himself. He has free will."

"Where do you think he's going?" Kari asked, staring out a nearby window. "I kind of feel sorry for him." Everyone turned to the brunette girl, who kept staring out the window at the horizon. "He must be very confused and lonely. She created him to be a fighting machine. That just seems really sad to me."

Rika walked over to stand beside Kari, smiling and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I think so too, Kari. It's like he doesn't want to follow Arukenimon's orders, but he also doesn't know his purpose in life." She looked down and crossed her arms. "It really is pretty sad."

"I must be going crazy." Yolei shook her head. "It sounds like to me like you're worrying about a cold-blooded monster."

Kari turned to face her friends. "Not really. I just care about him."

"That's the difference between you and Kari." Davis told Yolei. "She cares about other people."

Yolei whipped around to Davis. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Just what it sounds like!" Davis snapped.

"Hey! Hey!" T.K. called, getting their attention. "Do I have to separate you two? It's stupid to fight each other! Let's go to the Digital World and finish what we started."

"I'm in." Rika nodded. "I still owe Arukenimon and Mummymon a piece of my sword."

"Yeah, if we knock down the Control Spires, old White Hair's out of business!" Davis looked to Kari. "Kari, you're with me, aren't you?"

Kari looked a little unsure, but forced out a "Yeah….."

DemiVeemon jumped into Davis's arms. "I'm with ya, Davis!"

Wizardmon glanced over at Yolei, focusing on her thoughts so they echoed in his head.

_I hate to admit it, but Davis may be right about Kari and me. _Yolei thought. _She never puts her foot in her mouth like I do. I never know _what _she's thinking. It kind of makes me nervous._

_You're not the only one. _Wizardmon looked to Kari, but didn't read her mind. _Then again, Rika does the same thing. I've learned to get used to it. But am I doing the right thing by just letting them stay sheltered like that? I used to do that too and it only caused me and Rika a lot of trouble. I'm better at staying more open nowadays, but that's because I had Rika, Gatomon, or Kari to talk to. _Wizardmon's eyes flicked back and forth between Kari and Yolei. _Maybe that's what Kari needs; someone just a little bit different from herself._

* * *

><p>The DigiDestined spent most of the afternoon in the DigiWorld, looking for Control Spires to destroy. Unfortunately, they only found so many in one area before the black obelisks became quite scarce. On the upside, this meant they made good progress. On the downside, it meant they could only wander around until they found more. Luckily, Yolei emailed Izzy to ask for a map that showed where to find more Control Spires, and the red-haired brainiac pointed them to a forestry area littered with them. The DigiDestined thanked Izzy, but once they reached the forest they began to get second thoughts. The trees rose high above them and the air felt tense and heavy. Moss-covered roots, trees, and rocks added a spooky feeling to the forest. Still, the kids and their Digimon began their trek to find the Control Spires. Veemon tried to tell knock-knock jokes, but when Davis told him enough he tried to tell a story about a guy who tells knock-knock jokes. It wasn't until Rika threatened to stuff the dragon Digimon's head into a hole did he finally stop talking. Yolei kept glancing over at Kari, wanting to talk to her but unable to find a way to start a conversation.<p>

Gatomon slowed to a stop, looking around her. "This is weird…."

Wizardmon paused and looked back towards his feline friend. "Gatomon. You really should keep up. I don't like the feel of this place."

Kari stopped to and glanced at her Digimon. "What is it, Gatomon?"

Gatomon's face lit up. "This is it! I thought it looked familiar! This is where I lost my tail ring!"

At this revelation, the DigiDestined hurried over to Gatomon. "Really? Are you sure?" Kari asked.

"Positively." Gatomon said firmly. "It was awful. Ken wasn't so sweet back then, and even good Digimon like Unimon were forced to do his dirty work. I couldn't look for my ring back then, but if I had it now I'd be one tough Digi-kitty."

"That's actually very true." Wizardmon nodded. "Things like your tail ring and even my wand give us a lot more power than what we'd have on our own."

"That's it, then!" Davis declared. "We'll just have to go find it, wherever it is."

"You're the greatest!" Kari said with a smile.

Cody and Yolei cast smirks towards Davis. "Trying to score points with Kari?" Cody asked. "Looks like it actually worked this time."

"Not even Davis can strike out every time." Yolei added.

Davis's cheeks turned bright red. _"Oh yes I can!"_

Veemon elbowed his partner's leg, also smirking. "I don't think that's what you meant to say." Everyone else just giggled and chuckled at Davis's expense as the boy's entire face went a deep shade of crimson.

"Yes it is." Davis said a little weakly.

"Whatever." T.K. waved it off. "He may be confused but he happens to be right."

"That's one point for Davis." Hawkmon said.

"Two points and a cookie if you find it." Armadillomon said, referring to Gatomon's tail ring.

"Now you're talking!" Gatomon smiled. "Thanks a lot!"

"Let's get going, Kari." Davis offered.

But Kari suddenly walked past him. "I think that clearing we passed is the best bet. Come on, Yolei, Rika. Let's start there."

"Sure." Yolei nodded.

"Yeah let's go!" Rika agreed. Their Digimon followed close behind them.

"Wish we could've seen the look on Davis's face when Kari brushed past him." Gatomon said.

"I think his thoughts are a little more amusing." Wizardmon said, causing everyone to laugh. They made it to the clearing Kari referred to and spread out to search. The six of them picked up rocks, peered into logs, sifted through moss and grass, and Wizardmon and Hawkmon even checked the trees, but not a speck of gold shone through the green and grays.

"This may be harder than we thought." Yolei said. "After all, it couldn't have been a very large ring. Hey Wizardmon, you think you can trace it with your energy powers?"

"First off, I'm what's known as an aura reader." Wizardmon said. "It's not a superpower I was born with; I developed it through extensive training and research. Secondly, what we're looking for is an inanimate object, ergo it wouldn't give off an aura to trace. And thirdly, I am _not _just a walking talking aura detector."

Yolei rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Oh. Sorry. I guess I'm not used to you being, you know, out and about and not a ghost."

"It's something we'll all have to get used to." Rika shrugged. "I won't be able to read his thoughts anymore, and that used to be the source of a lot of my jabs at him."

Wizardmon cast his human partner a pointed look. "Be careful, Rika. I can still read minds and there are _plenty _of things I could tell the others about your crush on—"

"Subject change!" Rika suddenly shouted, her face flushing. Everyone else just laughed and continued searching.

Wizardmon climbed higher into the tree he investigated, but he couldn't stay fully focused. _I wonder if I should tell them that I can sense Ken and Wormmon not too far from here. But I have to wonder if Yolei still doesn't trust him. Then again, all I can get from reading her thoughts is how she's so different from Kari and she wishes she knew more about her, blah, blah, bl—_

"_AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

The sudden shout made Wizardmon jump and if he didn't have the ability to fly he would've fallen right out of the tree. "What was that?"

"That's Ken!" Kari realized. "He's in trouble!" She took off running into the forest.

"Kari, wait!" Wizardmon called, flying after the brunette.

"I hate it when she does that!" Gatomon groaned as she, Hawkmon, Yolei, and Rika followed their friends. "Wait for me!"

"Kari! Wizardmon!" Rika called. "Slow down!"

"Where are you going?" Yolei asked.

"Didn't you hear him scream just now?" Kari panted. "It's Ken! Something's wrong with him!"

"Ken?" Yolei blinked in confusion.

"He's up there!" Wizardmon called, flying ahead and landing beside the raven-haired boy currently kneeling on the ground and holding his head as though in pain. "Ken! Ken, snap out of it!"

Kari approached next, kneeling in front of Ken. "Don't worry, Ken. We're here now; it'll be okay." His moans and whimpers broke Kari's heart, but she stayed calm so as to not cause further distress.

"What happened?" Yolei asked, looking around. "Were you attacked? I don't see anything."

"Was it BlackWarGreymon?" Rika asked.

"The ocean….." Ken moaned.

"He's finally cracked!" Yolei breathed.

"It was the Dark Ocean!" Ken still clutched his head like it would explode any second now. "It's horrible!"

Wizardmon's eyes widened a little. "Ken, that's not possible. It's in your head; a hallucination. It could very well be something in this forest that's causing you to go crazy. You have to calm down. There's no Dark Ocean here."

Kari gasped. "The Dark Ocean? Could it be…..?"

"Maybe it's contagious." Yolei looked around again. "I can't see a thing. How about you, Hawkmon?"

Ken finally seemed to calm down and stood up. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

"No you're not." Yolei scoffed. "You're clearly seeing things. The Dark Ocean."

Kari stood and helped support Ken as they walked. "I think I know how you're feeling." She told Ken.

"Maybe we should just play along, Hawkmon." Yolei suggested.

"Do you think he fell on his head?" Hawkmon said. "I did that once and thought I was a fruit bat."

Wizardmon paused, feeling as though snakes crept up his spine. But he shook it off and jogged to keep up with the others. "You all right, Wizardmon?" Wormmon asked. "We really can't have _two _people getting worked up about nothing."

"I thought I felt something." Wizardmon said. "Like we just passed through some sort of barrier. But I didn't see anything."

"I think you're just a little jumpy from this forest." Gatomon said. "You did say you got a bad feeling from it."

Wizardmon nodded slowly. "I guess so."

"Yeesh, this is just too weird." Yolei said. "Wizardmon feeling all foreboding and talking about this Dark Ocean—"

"We will not discuss that place any further." Wizardmon snapped, a harsh glare settling in his eyes.

"Why not?" Hawkmon asked. "What _is _the Dark Ocean?"

"The Dark Ocean is a sort of sub-world, a second dimension, to the Digital World." Wizardmon said, his tone filled with irritation and a little anger. "It's where evil Digimon that are too dangerous to be reconfigured go to suffer like they deserve."

"Well that's not very nice." Yolei said. "Even evil Digimon are living creatures."

"I mean evil Digimon like the _really _cruel and despicable ones." Wizardmon said. _Like Myotismon; he should've gone there. _"The ones that throw the DigiWorld out of balance but can't be easily killed. So they're banished to the Dark Ocean to learn the full weight of the pain they cause."

"So why did Kari and apparently Ken go there?" Gatomon asked.

"They didn't." Wizardmon half-growled.

"But Wizardmon, it's true." Kari said. "I—"

"It's _not _true." Wizardmon insisted, his voice still full of anger. "Only the evilest, most despicable Digimon go to that place and you and Ken are some of the kindest people I know. You didn't go to the Dark Ocean; you just had a bad dream or something."

Ken opened his mouth to argue, but Kari squeezed his hand and shook her head small. She could tell by the look in Wizardmon's eyes that he _did not _want to discuss the matter. Kari could sense something more to Wizardmon's affirmation that they didn't go to the Dark Ocean; as though the very thought of her and Ken going to such a place greatly terrified the wizard Digimon. So the group continued to walk in silence. Soon, Ken could walk on his own. But after several minutes that felt like hours, the group of DigiDestined realized nothing looked familiar to them. They paused, looking all around but not seeing any landmarks to point them in the right direction. Their recent trail of footprints seemed almost nonexistent.

"These trees are all beginning to look the same." Kari said. "Tall and really, really dark."

"Do you think we've been chasing our tail this whole time?" Gatomon asked worriedly.

"You mean we've been going in circles?" Yolei started panicking. "You think we're lost? Is that it? Forever and ever till we die?"

"Yolei, calm down." Rika soothed. "I'm sure we won't be lost until we die."

"But we're still lost!" Yolei gasped in surprise, then her face broke into smiles. "It's Davis!"

"We're saved!" Hawkmon cheered.

"But did it have to be Davis?" Rika sighed. "It couldn't be T.K.?"

Yolei raised her hand high above her head and waved. "Over here!"

"Veemon! Excellent timing!" Hawkmon called. The brunette boy and his Digimon paused, then turned and began to run towards them. Yolei and Hawkmon darted over to meet them halfway, the others soon following.

"Davis!" Kari called happily. "T.K.!"

"It's about time!" Rika laughed.

Yolei slowed down to stop, but Davis didn't even hesitate as he suddenly walked right through her. She gasped and turned, very confused a little freaked out over what just happened.

"Veemon!" Hawkmon called, landing in front of the blue dragon Digimon. But he, too, passed right through the bird and thoroughly startled him. "I feel faint…."

"What's going on?" Rika asked no one in particular.

_I knew it. _Wizardmon thought. _We've crossed over into some sort of spirit dimension or something._

"I'm confused." Yolei whimpered.

Davis and Veemon stopped in the middle of the group. "I was sure I heard a voice over here." Davis said. "Do you think maybe there are ghosts, Veemon?"

"Davis!" Kari raised her voice. "We're right here!"

"Nah," Veemon answered Davis's question. "I don't believe in 'em." The two of them took off running again, calling for their friends.

"Where are you going?" Ken called after them.

"Davis!" Rika shouted. "Veemon!"

"That's strange." Kari said. "If we can see him, why can't he see us? It doesn't make any sense."

"What now?" Yolei asked with a gulp.

"Maybe we should go back the way we came." Wizardmon suggested. "I knew I felt something while we walked, some sort of barrier. If we walk back through it maybe we'll become solid again."

"But which way did we come from?" Rika asked. "Gatomon may be right; we've been going in circles this entire time."

"Then we'll keep walking until we find a way out." Kari decided. "The forest doesn't go on forever and if we find a way out of the forest we'll find a way out of here."

"How can you be sure?" Yolei asked.

"I'm not." Kari admitted. But she started walking anyway, forcing everyone else to jog a bit to keep up. As they trekked through the woods, the roots and moss seemed to become more and more frequent. A couple of them tripped as they climbed over the large tree roots. The sky looked gray instead of blue, but none of them could make out any clouds. To make matters worse, fog began rolling in from who-knows-where.

"I don't like the way this fog keeps getting thicker." Ken murmured, the first sound made after several minutes of silent walking. No one else said a word, their minds on other things. Yolei stared at Ken, Kari, and Rika, all of them walking in front of her. The silence soon became too much for her to bear, so she tried to strike up a conversation.

"Hey! I know. Let's sing a song." She suggested.

"Not the best idea." Rika said.

"Weren't _you _the one who said singing can uplift spirits?" Yolei asked.

"Yes, but right now we don't really need our spirits uplifted." Rika said. "Besides, we don't want to attract attention to ourselves in case there are wild Digimon out here."

Yolei gulped a little, but put on a smile. "Okay, so you don't like that plan. Why don't we play a game?" Nobody answered. "How about this? We can play my favorite game: Telephone! Oh, I forgot, there are only four of us. I guess that would be pretty boring." She laughed lightly, nervousness and awkwardness settling in her tone.

"How are we going to find our way home if we don't even know where we are?" Ken asked the open air. "It's hopeless."

Kari turned to him with a smile. "Nothing is ever hopeless, Ken. You of all people should know that. There are too many people who want us back, and we want to go back too much to be stuck here forever."

"Yeah, Ken." Rika agreed. "Our situation could be worse than it is now. I'm not sure _how _it could be worse, but it could be."

Yolei suddenly frowned. "Why won't you talk to me?!"

The girl's sharp tone made everyone paused and turn to her. "What?" Kari asked.

"Do you three want to be alone or something?" Yolei demanded. "You could just say so instead of ignoring me like this."

"We're not ignoring you." Kari said innocently.

"Yes you are." Yolei stomped angrily past the other preteens, Hawkmon close behind her.

"Come back, Yolei!" Kari called.

"Um, Yolei?" Ken called timidly.

"Let her go." Rika said as they continued walking. "She seriously needs to cool off."

"Rika, it's not a good idea for us to separate while we're in this creepy forest." Wizardmon said. "Even with Hawkmon, I don't trust myself to leave Yolei alone, let alone anyone else."

"I'm sure Yolei will calm down soon enough." Kari said. "She may be rash and a little unpredictable, but that's why Hawkmon is there; he's always level-headed, so he looks out for her and makes sure she doesn't make the same mistakes."

"Opposites attract, I guess." Wormmon said.

"Kari! Gatomon!" Yolei's voice sounded through the trees. "I think we found it!"

They quickened their pace to join Yolei and Hawkmon on the edge of a small canyon several feet away from the tree line. "My tail ring?" Gatomon asked happily.

"Really?" Kari asked. They all looked over the rocky edge, following Yolei's point to something sparkling in the darkness.

"See? Right down there." Yolei beamed with pride.

"What do you think, Gatomon?" Kari asked.

"I can't tell from here." Gatomon said, staring intently at the shining object.

_I know I've seen this before, but where? _Ken wondered. _There are too many gaps in my memory. Why can I only remember the awful things and not the things that would help someone? It almost feels like it's on purpose._

Wormmon stared worriedly at Ken. _He has that look again._

_None of this feels right. _Wizardmon thought, staring at Ken. _If it's bothering Ken like this then it must be more serious than I thought. We need to get out of here._

"How can we be sure it's the tail ring?" Rika asked. "It's so dark, I can't see a thing."

"There's only one way to find out." Yolei turned and lowered her legs down the cliff face.

"Oh, Yolei!" Hawkmon whimpered. "I beg of you! Don't!"

"You worry too much." Yolei said dismissively.

"Of course he's worried." Kari reasoned. "It's too risky."

"Let me or Hawkmon fly down and check it out." Wizardmon offered. "You belong on solid ground."

"It's the least I can do after—" Yolei yelped as a rock under her foot jerked loose and she began to fall. Kari quickly knelt down and grabbed Yolei's wrist, saving her.

Hawkmon put a wing to his chest with a groan. "I wish you wouldn't do this sort of thing!"

Yolei smiled nervously. "Well, at this exact moment, so do I!"

"Don't worry, I have you!" Kari assured, keeping a tight grip on her friend's arm.

"Wizardmon, you better go get her." Rika said. The Majin nodded and prepared to float down and lift the purple-haired girl. Ken moved to help Kari when the brunette suddenly gasped deeply, her irises and pupils constricting to almost nothing. Ken and Wizardmon had the exact same reaction. Unseen to everyone but the three of them, waves of black waters appeared out of nowhere and crashed against the rocks at the bottom of the canyon. The three of them screamed in terror; Ken gripped his head as though in pain, as did Wizardmon as the Digimon fell to his knees and dropped his staff; Kari suddenly lost her footing and she tumbled over the edge with Yolei in tow. Not wasting a minute, Hawkmon and Gatomon leaped down after their human partners. Wormmon stared at Ken, shocked and worried over such a violent and spontaneous action. Rika knelt beside Wizardmon, shaking his shoulders.

"Yolei!"

"Kari!"

"Ken!"

"Wizardmon!"

Ken let out another agonized scream, the sound actually scaring Rika a little. She never imagined such a sound could come from Ken's or _anyone's _mouth. But her focus remained on Wizardmon, who gripped his skull as though it would split open any second now. He whimpered pitifully, wincing as though someone struck him repeatedly.

"Wizardmon!" Rika shook her Digimon so hard his hat fell off his head. "Hey! Snap out of it!" She turned to Ken, looking back and forth between the raven-haired boy and her Digimon partner. "What the heck is going on?"

"You're guess is as good as mine." Wormmon gulped. "He hasn't had such a terrible reaction in so long."

"He's gone through this before?" Rika's eyes widened behind her glasses.

In a matter of nanoseconds, Ken and Wizardmon seemed to recover from their episodes. Wizardmon put his hat back on his head and took up his staff, standing with a tired sigh. "I am sorry if I startled you." He said with a bowed head to hide his eyes.

"Me too." Ken said. "But we're fine now. Right Wizardmon?"

"Yes." Wizardmon said.

Rika stood between the boy and the Digimon, her face settling into a frown. Then, much to the amusement of Wormmon and surprise of Ken and Wizardmon, Rika reached up and took one of their ears in each hand, pinching them and pulling them down. Ken and Wizardmon yelped in pain and started demanding release, only for Rika to twist their ears and make them go silent.

"You know we each only have two of these, right?" Wizardmon snapped.

"Listen up, you two." Rika said, sounding like a mother scolding her children. "I don't know _what _is making you do such a thing, but you better start talking or so help me I'll throw you over the edge of this cliff!"

"What on earth makes you think we'd tell you anything?" Ken demanded.

"Did I or did I not say I would throw you over a cliff edge?" Rika snapped.

"Come on, let go!" Wizardmon tried to wrench his ear free but Rika's grip stayed tight. "You have no idea how much this hurts!"

"Um, guys?"

The four of them looked to see Gatomon and Hawkmon staring at them from the cliff edge. "What…..are you doing?" Hawkmon asked slowly.

"These two are being stubborn again." Rika huffed, finally releasing her captives who immediately took a few steps away from the girl. "How are Yolei and Kari?"

"Fine." Gatomon said. "But we should hurry and get them up here."

"Why aren't you digivolving?" Rika asked Hawkmon.

"It would seem I am currently unable to." Hawkmon said.

"Hmm, that's weird." Rika said. "Well, we'll just grab some vines and toss them down." She and Hawkmon ran to grab some vines from the trees and they all lowered the makeshift ropes to the ledge Yolei and Kari landed on.

"Hello below!" Hawkmon called into the canyon. "Rescue is at hand!"

"Going up!" Gatomon added. Yolei and Kari grabbed the vines and everyone else pulled the girls up to them, where the previously fallen DigiDestined sat and took a few deep breaths.

"I'm glad that's over." Yolei sighed.

"You really need to be a little more cautious." Rika scolded gently.

"You're one to talk." Wizardmon huffed, rubbing his still-sore ear.

"Um…" Ken piped up, unfortunately drawing more attention to him than he wanted.

"Ken?" Yolei asked, as though permitting him to go on.

"I'm sorry, Yolei." Ken said. "I wasn't able to help you."

"That's okay, Ken." Yolei assured. "I know you were afraid. It would've been silly for you to fall down with us. You were so freaked out you probably wouldn't have done any good anyway."

Ken's face seemed to fall even more, looking a little glummer. "Oh here we go." Rika muttered under her breath.

"Oh, right! I forgot!" Yolei babbled on. "You were the Digimon Emperor. You were brave back then. What happened?"

"Hey Yolei!" Kari spoke up. "Stop!"

"You're babbling again." Rika droned.

"Oops." Yolei said sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I guess you don't really want to be reminded of that. I wouldn't. Hey! Guess what we found down there. You'll think this is funny: it wasn't Gatomon's tail ring at all, it was one of your Dark Rings! Okay, that's not funny. But I didn't mean funny 'ha ha' I meant funny ironic funny. Don't get me wrong. Even though _you _made them I'm not blaming you."

"I think I know a silence spell that would work well on her." Wizardmon whispered to Hawkmon.

"Oh stop it." Hawkmon elbowed the wizard Digimon.

Kari suddenly started giggling. Yolei turned to Kari with a bit of a frown. "What are you laughing at, Kari? This is serious." Kari kept giggling, and Yolei sighed. "I'm just making it worse, huh?"

The entire time, Ken just stared blankly at Yolei and Kari, but his lips started showing the slightest hints of a smile. Wizardmon started smiling too, until he felt something that made him seize up. _No…..it can't be…it just can't be! _Kari gasped deeply, standing as though in a trance.

"Kari, what's wrong?" Gatomon asked.

"The waves." Kari said. "I can hear the waves."

"I hear them too." Wizardmon breathed. "It shouldn't be possible."

"Kari?" Yolei asked, staring worriedly at the brunette. Suddenly, Kari and Wizardmon took off in one direction and left their friends in the dust once more.

"Oh no!" Gatomon groaned. "Not again!"

Kari and Wizardmon ran as fast as their legs could carry them, through the trees and towards the sound of the waves beating on sand and rocks. They panted a little heavily, but the adrenaline and fear forced them to go faster.

"Wizardmon….." Kari panted. "Is there another way….to get to the Dark Ocean…without being evil?"

"You could voluntarily go." Wizardmon replied. "Not that anyone would want to. But it can't be. There's no way we—" His eyes widened as he and Kari suddenly skidded to a halt, staring out over a cliff at an ocean of black waters, looking more like a negative photograph than a real world. Wizardmon trembled a little, feeling as though a semi-truck crushed his chest. "No…no, it can't be…..it's not possible…"

"Oh I knew it." Kari moaned. "Is this darkness inside of me? Inside of Ken? Is that why we can't get away from it? I wish I were stronger. Or knew what it wanted."

Wizardmon suddenly grabbed Kari's shoulders and turned her so they stared into each other's eyes. "Kari, there is _no darkness_, not a single speck of it, inside of you. You're kind, and gentle, and full of love and light. Darkness can't affect you like it does me because you can fight it! If you can't fight it…..if you can't fight it….." His hands fell from Kari's shoulders, and the brunette noticed the Majin's eyes fill with fear and desperation. "…..you can't give up, Kari…..please don't give up…."

Kari stared at the Digimon before her. "Wizardmon…."

Rika, Wormmon, Ken, Gatomon, Yolei, and Hawkmon finally caught up with their companions and joined them at the cliff edge.

"Don't scare me like that, Kari!" Gatomon requested, looking overwhelmed with worry.

"It really is the Dark Ocean." Ken said solemnly. Everyone stared out at the black waters laid out before them, shocked by the reality of the Dark Ocean Ken, Kari, and Wizardmon kept talking about.

"Whoa." Rika breathed. _It's giving off the same feeling as that reactor in Ken's base. I feel regenerated, like the darkness of this place gives me energy. But why? Why does darkness make me stronger when it seems to bring down everyone else?_

Yolei and Hawkmon, however, saw nothing but a sea of trees. The purple-haired girl looked around. "Ocean? What are you talking about? All I see are a bunch of trees."

"It is indeed an ocean of trees, but I don't think that's what they mean." Hawkmon said.

"I almost lost Kari once before to this stupid ocean." Gatomon half-growled. "I wish I knew what it wants with her."

"_You've _been here too?" Wizardmon groaned. "Tell me you're joking."

"Kari, you've been here, seen this before?" Ken asked. "I didn't know anyone but me had ever been here."

"Wizardmon, what is this place?" Gatomon asked. "Why does it want Kari and Ken and you?"

"Kari sees it. And now Ken and Rika too." Yolei groaned in frustration. "I don't understand why I can't see anything!"

Suddenly, the forest Yolei and Hawkmon once stared at dissolved to reveal the Dark Ocean, much to their shock. "Yolei, what have you done?" Hawkmon breathed.

"Hey, since when did we start standing on the beach?" Rika asked, causing everyone to look down and see sand at their feet instead of rocks.

"Something doesn't feel right here." Ken said. "It's as if the world has slipped out of place."

"I wonder if it's because the powers guarding the Digital World are losing their grip." Yolei said.

"Huh?" Ken turned to Yolei.

"I was just thinking about something Izzy told us once." Yolei clarified.

"This could be important." Ken said. "What powers was he talking about?"

Kari suddenly fell to her knees, clutching her head. She started crying and whimpering. "I wanna go home!"

"You have to fight it, Kari!" Gatomon pleaded. "Don't give in! I need you!"

"Please fight it, Kari!" Wizardmon chimed in.

"Don't worry, Kari." Yolei said reassuringly. "We'll be home soon. Remember? You said so yourself."

Suddenly, Wizardmon fell to his knees, clutching his chest where his heart laid underneath the skin. "The darkness….it's getting worse…."

"Don't you start now, Wizardmon!" Gatomon called. "We need to stay strong!"

"Just do some meditating, Wizardmon." Rika instructed, moving to kneel in front of Kari. "That always helps you when this happens. I'll try and take some of Kari's darkness away."

Kari looked up in surprise. "You can do that?"

"Sure." Rika nodded with a smile. "I can take away the pain and the darkness and we can all think a little more clearly."

"Why can't you do that to Wizardmon?" Hawkmon asked.

"For some reason, I can't. It's like ingrained within his very soul." Rika said, sounding a little irritated by the fact (and for good reason). She reached her hands up and put one palm on Kari's head and the other hand over the brunette's heart. "Believe me, I tried once before. It didn't end well."

"What happened?" Gatomon asked.

Rika closed her eyes in concentration, but suddenly bursts of black electricity sparked all around her body and she made a strange buzzing sound with her teeth as she became electrocuted. A strong force launched her backwards and she landed in the waters of the Dark Ocean with a large _SPLASH!_

"Um…..I think _that's _what happened." Wormmon said.

"Sorry I asked." Gatomon said.

"Rika!" Ken shouted. "Get out of there!"

Wizardmon seemed to come to his senses at the sight of Rika in potential danger. "I'm coming Rika!" He stood up and ran towards her, but once his feet hit the shallows of the ocean he froze in the spot. His pupils and irises constricted as his eyes locked with the waters lapping at his ankles.

* * *

><p>"<em>Before I crush you, I'll give you the pleasure of watching me destroy your wizard friend first! <em>Grisly Wing!_"_

_If there was one thing he hated more than that vampire, it was that vampire's stupid bats. They lifted him high into the air, biting and scratching him repeatedly before suddenly dropping him into the frigid waters of the harbor. Still weakened from fighting Myotismon, he couldn't fly and save himself. He hardly felt his staff fall from his grip as he thrashed around, trying to surface but unable to do it. He shouted for Gatomon, but water entered his mouth and his head slipped beneath the waves. The chill of the water paralyzed his muscles and he soon found he couldn't move at all. Bubbles filled with precious air floated from his mouth and to the surface as he sank deeper…deeper…deeper….._

* * *

><p>Rika stepped up to her friends, wringing out her hair. "I'm okay. Just soaking wet." She glanced at Wizardmon. "Hey, what's wrong now?"<p>

Before Wizardmon could answer, strange voices rang out in the air. The eerie voices mixed with some sort of strange growls, and the Digimon in the group immediately moved in front of the children to protect them from whatever came. At first, nothing came forward to reveal itself. Then, the air seemed to ripple and a bright blue eye appeared.

"I think Big Brother is watching us." Gatomon gulped. Then, light and color spread from the eye to reveal a huge sunflower with a large mouth and four vines extending from its body, each one with a set of chompers.

"Or at least his corsage!" Hawkmon corrected.

"That's Blossomon, an Ultimate Digimon." Ken said. "Her Spiral Flower attack is a good excuse for weed killer and her children are worse than thorns!"

Gatomon looked past Blossomon and gasped. "Hey! Behind her! There's a hole in space! I can see right through it!"

"It's a way out of here!" Rika realized. "And the only thing in our way is an overgrown weed."

"I believe that's my cue." Hawkmon told Yolei.

"About time." Yolei took out her D3. "You'll have no trouble Digivolving now."

Ken took out his D3, looking to Wormmon. "Are you ready?"

"Let me at her." Wormmon said.

"_Hawkmon digivolve to…Aquilamon!"_

"_Wormmon digivolve to….Stingmon!"_

"Is it okay?" Gatomon asked Kari.

Kari smiled small and took out her D3. Rika turned to Wizardmon. "You too, Wizardmon. Time to Digivolve."

"Okay." Wizardmon nodded.

Stingmon and Aquilamon approached Blossomon, ready to attack, when the evil flower let out a high-pitched roar. Kari's pupils and irises constricted yet again, as did Wizardmon's, and the two of them began shouting in terror again while holding their heads.

"Kari!" Gatomon cried, her heart breaking at the sound of Kari's whimpers.

"This is not a good time!" Yolei groaned.

Blossomon sent her children after her attackers, but Stingmon and Aquilamon easily dodged them. Aquilamon threw a Blast Ring attack, but even though it caused an explosion of smoke and dust it only seemed to make Blossomon angrier.

"Not again!" Kari screamed, her eyes squeezed shut. "Don't take me!"

Rika knelt down and put her hands on Wizardmon's shoulders, shaking him. "Wizardmon! Fight back! We need you to focus!"

"I can't….." Wizardmon whimpered. "The darkness…it keeps growing…I can't fight it!"

Rika glared hard, shoving Wizardmon to the ground. "Fine! I'll do it myself!" She drew her sword and charged into battle, slashing at Blossomon's vines in hopes of leaving a blow. But the flower Digimon easily tossed Aquilamon and Stingmon to the ground and smacked Rika aside. The black-clothed girl hit the sand like a meteor to the ground, leaving a shallow ditch where she skid. She sat up and looked to Wizardmon beside her, still shaking and almost writhing in pain.

"Wizardmon, you have to fight back!" Rika ordered. "Whatever this darkness is, it can't control you!"

"But it does." Wizardmon's tone came out as heart-rending as before. "It's always controlled me. I can't fight it; I never could. I'll always be a slave, nothing can change that." Rika's eyes widened at the sight of tears in Wizardmon's eyes, dripping down to the sand. She didn't witness Wizardmon cry very often.

"Wizardmon, you're not making sense." Rika said, sounding more worried now.

"I'm a pathetic creature that doesn't deserve to exist." Wizardmon continued to shake. "I'm weak, and unworthy. I don't deserve to be a DigiDestined and I don't deserve to have friends like Gatomon or Kari. I don't deserve to be your Digimon, Rika. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, please forgive me."

Rika's eyes widened even further. "Wizardmon! You're dedigivolving!"

Wizardmon hardly paid any attention as he morphed and changed until he shrunk down to a purple creature with a white face, red gloves and bandana, a yellow spot with an evil smiley face on his chest and stomach, and the same green eyes Wizardmon had. "I'm not worthy…I'm a pathetic weakling….." he continued to whimper.

"Wizard—I mean, Impmon!" Rika cried, taking the imp Digimon into her arms. "Impmon, stop dedigivolving! You're not worthless! You're worth more to me than anything in the world." Impmon didn't respond, still whimpering and shaking. Rika felt completely at a loss, not sure how she could help her Digimon but desperate to do _something. _She looked over to Kari to see the brunette fared no better.

"I just don't think I can stand it this time." Kari sobbed, still clutching her head.

Yolei shook Kari's shoulders. "Kari, snap out of it!"

"You have to fight!" Gatomon pleaded.

"Kari, you have to talk to me or I can't help!" Yolei half-ordered, half-pleaded.

Kari kept sobbing. "The darkness won't leave me alone! I'll never be strong enough! It's going to win!"

_Is this because of me? _Rika wondered, staring in shock at Kari. _Do I cause my friends this pain by being a DigiDestined of Darkness?_

Then, Yolei frowned and swung her open hand around, slapping Kari across her cheek. The force seemed to shock Kari into her senses but she also didn't move for a while. The action thoroughly surprised Gatomon, Ken, and Rika. Yolei continued to frown at Kari. "That's enough of that nonsense! Of course you're strong enough! You're the strongest person I've ever known! And if you think I'm going to sit by and let you run on yourself like that, you can think again!" Kari turned to lock eyes with Yolei, and the purple-haired girl took Kari's hands in hers. "We'll fight it together, Kari. The darkness will _never _beat you. Do you hear me?"

Kari stared at Yolei for a long moment, but Gatomon could tell by looking into Kari's eyes that she _did _hear Yolei. "Yolei, thank you." Kari said, smiling softly. "You're a true friend."

Seconds after Kari's statement, a bright beam of pink light floated down to surround Yolei, Kari, and Gatomon. Everyone else stared in awe, even Blossomon.

"What is that?" Rika sighed in awe.

"It's beautiful." Kari breathed.

"Just like you." Yolei said. "I forgot; yours is the Crest of Light. You have the power to light up the darkness. It doesn't have a chance."

"You're the worst enemy of darkness." Gatomon said.

Rika seized up, holding Impmon closer to her. _Light…is the worst enemy of Darkness….it will always win against Darkness….. _She stared at Kari. _Oh Kari. What does this mean?_

Yolei and Kari exchanged looks, and Kari finally gave a genuine smile. "Yeah." Suddenly, Kari's and Yolei's D3s began to glow, as did Gatomon and Aquilamon. A newfound energy sprung between the two Digimon, and their human partners suddenly felt as though a thousand cable wires connected their minds, hearts, and souls.

_So this is what it feels like…_ Yolei thought.

_To have the connection that comes with DNA Digivolving… _Kari thought.

Gatomon's and Aquilamon's forms turned into silhouettes of light that shot into the air and began combining.

"_Aquilamon…..Gatomon….DNA Digivolve to…..Silphymon!"_

The Digimon hybrid of Aquilamon and Gatomon turned out to be a humanoid with the perfect combination of the two Digimon. The bottom half looked like Aquilamon's legs, and while the top held some bird-like figure it was white with red markings and a silver chest plate, belt, and shoulder pads. The human Digimon's eyes were covered by a piece of silver and red metal, similar to Angewomon's helmet, and a thick bush of red hair sprouted from its head with a pair of white and purple ears just like Gatomon's stuck out.

"It has Gatomon's grace." Kari noted.

"And Aquilamon's strength." Yolei added.

Ken stared at Silphymon. "That overgrown daisy's history."

Rika allowed a small smile to appear on her face. "They're going to make a great team."

Silphymon approached Blossomon bravely, not even flinching when the flower Digimon roared again. "Let's send this Control Spire Digimon back to the spider in a dust pan!" Gatomon said excitedly.

"I like the way you think, Gatomon!" Aquilamon agreed.

Blossomon sent her vined children forward, but Silphymon twirled around with its hands glowing in a pink-red glow, forming a ball of energy in its palms. _"Static Force!" _The sphere of energy shot forward, obliterating Blossomon's children before hitting the plant Digimon herself. In a great eruption of light and power, the Control Spire Digimon burst into dust and then nothingness. As the light died down, the color returned to the world around them, and the sand and ocean returned to rocky ground and lots of trees.

"Wow." Kari breathed.

"Double wow!" Yolei laughed.

The two girls shared looks, both thinking the same thing. _You know, she's pretty cool._

"Hey, we're back!" Rika realized. Everyone blinked in surprise as Silphymon began to glow, and suddenly the hybrid dedigivolved to reveal Salamon and a small, pink, featherless bird Digimon.

"Salamon!" Kari beamed with pride.

"I'm Pururumon now, Yolei." The baby bird Digimon said.

"You can be whoever you want!" Yolei laughed, scooping up her Digimon and hugging him. Kari did the same with hers.

"Well it looks like the two of you are DNA Digivolving partners." Ken said as he and Wormmon approached them. He looked over to Rika and his eyes widened a bit in surprise. "Hey Rika. Who's that in your arms?"

Rika looked down to the purple Digimon she held. "Oh, this is Impmon, Wizardmon's Rookie form."

Impmon seemed to be sleeping when his eyes opened. "Hey Ken."

"You look kind of cute as a Rookie." Salamon giggled. Impmon's cheeks flushed and he tried to sink deeper into Rika's arms as though to hide himself. Everyone laughed good-heartedly.

"Hey Kari! Yolei! Rika!"

They all turned at T.K.'s voice to find him, Davis, Cody, and their Digimon running up to them. "Hey guys!" Yolei waved. "It's about time you showed up!"

"They can see us." Kari sighed in relief. "Which means we're really back."

"Hey, what happened to you guys?" Cody asked. "Yolei, Kari, you two are a mess."

Yolei and Kari looked down to find themselves still very filthy from their fall over a cliff. But they laughed it off and explained what happened. Everything from finding Ken to their fight with Blossomon they recounted to their friends.

"Silphymon?" Cody breathed.

"Rats." Davis grumbled. "I guess that means Yolei is Kari's DNA Digivolve partner. Too bad, T.O.!"

"You're all together now. Time for me to go." Ken said, turning and walking away with Wormmon at his feet.

"Ken!" Yolei called, but the raven-haired boy kept walking. _There's a lot more to Ken than a pretty face. And Kari too. They fight enemies I've never even seen! _Yolei turned to the others with a smile. "Ready to go?" Her eyes locked on Kari and her smile grew. _She won't fight them alone anymore. Not if I can help it._

Kari looked up at T.K. approached. "I thought I really lost you this time. I was afraid you slipped into the other world for good."

Kari smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry, T.K. I have a feeling I won't be fighting it alone anymore." She glanced over at Yolei, still smiling. "Yolei won't let me."

Rika looked back and forth between Kari and Yolei before her gaze widened to see the DigiDestined as a whole. _They're such a great group of friends. So close knit and loyal to one another. _Her eyes traveled up to Impmon, who some time ago decided he preferred to ride on her shoulders instead of in her arms. _I wonder….if I could ever gain a connection like that with them._

* * *

><p>"Hey Kari?" Rika piped up almost nervously.<p>

"Yes?" Kari replied.

"Can Impmon sleep in your bed with you and Salamon?" Rika requested. "I'm going to spend the night in the closet tonight."

"Not a problem." Kari assured, jerking her head towards her bunk bed. "If you take a look, they've already gotten comfortable. I'd hate to move them."

Rika tiptoed over to the bed and peered over the edge, smiling at the sight of Impmon out cold and sleeping peacefully with Salamon curled up beside him. They sure did look comfortable, so Rika snuck away to let them sleep. "Every time I see Wizardmon and Gatomon together I can't help but think about how lucky he is to have her for a friend."

"Well Wizardmon's a great friend." Kari said, turning in her desk chair to face Rika. "I didn't get the chance to really know him when we first met, so for him to return and give Gatomon and me the chance to talk is so great."

Rika smiled softly. "Yeah. You two seem to be the only one who can get him to talk about what's bothering him. While I'd love to know what runs about in his head, but he doesn't tell me anything. I know he wants to protect me, but I wish he'd just forget about it. I'm thankful to have met you two, because Wizardmon's developed this light in his eyes that I haven't seen in a really long time."

"It's nice to see him again, that's for sure." Kari said. Rika nodded aimlessly, turning and walking to the closet. Kari stared after her. "Rika? Is there something wrong?"

"Not really. I was just thinking about what Yolei and Gatomon said about light and darkness, how you have the power to light up darkness." Rika said. "Gatomon even said you're darkness's worst enemy."

"So?" Kari shrugged.

Rika spun around, holding up her tag and Crest. "So, what does this mean?" She didn't look angry or sad, but rather very lost. "Kari I'm so confused. You and Yolei are opposites but your Digimon DNA Digivolve. What about us? The opposite of Light and Darkness does not attract, okay they repel one another. Am I destined to be your enemy? Because I don't want that. I want to be your friend. But how can I be your friend if we're so different from each other?"

"Rika, you're overthinking this." Kari approached Rika and pulled her into a hug. "You _are _my friend, and nothing's going to change that."

"Thank you Kari." Rika sighed. "But I'm really _not _overthinking this. I feel like I don't think about it enough. I'm so different from the other DigiDestined, but I don't want to be your enemy." She pulled away to stare into Kari's eyes. "I don't know what to do, Kari. I can't put Wizardmon at risk. It's not fair to him."

"Rika, I understand you feel lost and confused." Kari said. "But I just don't understand your problem. You need to tell me what you're thinking."

"I need you to tell me what to do, Kari." Rika said. "Tell me what my Crest means. Tell me why I was chosen."

Kari opened her mouth to speak, but no words formed. The girls stared at one another, as though just realizing how very similar yet very different they were.


	24. Swimming Lessons

**Swimming Lessons**

Rika sat up from Kari's bed, stretching and sighing happily as she rubbed her eyes. "Well I slept _wonderfully _last night." She jumped down to the floor and landed cat-like, bouncing over like a monkey and rapping her knuckles on the closet door. It opened slowly to reveal a groggy Wizardmon with bedhead hair (not that it was noticeable) and an equally sleepy Gatomon curled up beside him.

"What in the DigiWorld do you want?" Wizardmon snapped in an undertone.

"You never were a morning person." Rika smiled warmly. "Get up. We're going out today."

"No." Wizardmon lay back down and rolled over so his back faced Rika.

The raven-haired girl stared at Wizardmon over the rim of her glasses, then pushed her glasses back up and yanked Wizardmon's pillow from under his head. The wizard Digimon groaned, but stayed in his spot. "Get up, onīsan." Rika ordered, slapping her Digimon's head with the pillow. "I've decided we're going to have a family day."

"Fine….." Wizardmon's muffled voice came from under the pillow. "Wake me when Kari comes with breakfast."

"Why are you having a family day?" Gatomon asked.

"Not just us." Rika corrected. "All of us. Each and every DigiDestined we know will gather in the Digital World and go to a nice lake I know about. We need a day of rest instead of fighting and we need to do something fun as a family, because that's what we are: not just a group of kids and Digimon but a little family."

Gatomon smiled. "I'm in." She jumped onto Wizardmon and shook him. "Come on, Wizardmon! Get up! It's a new day and we're going to have fun!"

"That's right!" Rika nodded happily.

"What's right?" Kari asked as she came in, holding a tray of food for her friends.

"We're having a family day!" Gatomon called from the closet, still trying to get her friend out of his bed.

"I'm going shopping and making food today." Rika explained. "And then we're going to a nice lake in the DigiWorld and having a picnic. All the DigiDestined, including your brother Tai and his friends."

"What's the occasion?" Kari asked, handing Rika a bowl of rice and some toast.

"I just want to take a day and spend it with my new friends." Rika said. "If we want to label it, we'll call it, 'Thank you for taking me and Wizardmon in.'" Her smile grew. "I guess it's really so we can spend a day without worrying about our problems."

Kari smiled too. "I agree. Let's go."

"If Wizardmon can get up, that is." Gatomon laughed, still shaking her wizard friend. "Come on, Wizardmon! Upsy-daisy!"

Wizardmon groaned again. "No…."

"Do I have to use your head as my scratching post?" Gatomon held up her paws in a playful threat.

The Majin sighed. "Okay. I'm up…but I'm going to get you back for this."

* * *

><p>"Oh wow!" Mimi's eyes sparkled as bright as the lake she stared at. "This lake is so beautiful! And the sand looks so inviting!"<p>

Rika smiled warmly, happy the DigiDestined seemed to approve of the lake house she brought them to. It looked like a traditional Japanese house, colored brown and tan and complete with rice paper doors and tatami mat floors. The porch dropped off to a sandy beach and about forty feet away the small waves of the lake hit the shore. The clear waters sparkled like millions of diamonds and sapphires.

"We'll set up the picnic blanket here on the porch." Rika offered. "That way the food is a safe distance away from the water. Those rocks over there are really great to jump off and the trees offer divine shade. The water may be just a little cold but you enjoy yourselves."

"Are you sure we're not trespassing on someone's property?" Joe asked.

"Nah." Rika waved a hand dismissively. "This is a lake house that belongs to a Deramon friend of mine. He owed me and Wizardmon a favor so he's off visiting some friends while we spend the next two days and nights here."

"Sounds good to me!" Tai laughed. "Last one in is a rotten Digi-Egg!" He and several of the boys, human and Digimon alike, tossed their towels aside and stampeded into the water, splashing and laughing and diving. The kids all currently wore their swimsuits, but the girls could only stare after the boys with almost a bored gaze.

"Those guys are dorks." Sora sighed.

"But think about this: if we eat now before them we won't have to worry about them eating all the food." Mimi pointed out.

"Yeah I'm hungry!" Palmon cheered.

"Let's eat!" Biyomon chimed in. The girls laughed and sat down on the blanket to dig in.

"I think I'll go do some meditating." Wizardmon said, resting his staff against a nearby column. "Save me some sushi."

"You hungry?" Rika asked.

"Not really." Wizardmon turned and walked off, leaving the girls to stare after him.

"I hate it when he does that." Gatomon sighed, munching on a rice cracker.

"He'll be okay." Rika assured. _I hope._

"Thanks again for inviting us, Rika." Yolei said. "This is so relaxing."

"I figured we needed a break from so much excitement." Rika shrugged. "This is two days of doing whatever you guys want as long as it doesn't include our usual DigiDestined business." The girls laughed and thanked Rika again. Mimi started talking with the raven-haired girl about her outfit and the two of them began chatting about their shopping experiences in Tokyo and New York.

_She's acting so kind, even after looking so lost a couple days ago. _Kari thought, trying to focus on her food so she wouldn't stare at Rika. _I wonder if this is a way to distract herself, or maybe she wants to make sure we consider her our friend. I wish I knew how to make her feel more confident in us. She's such a good friend, even if her Crest might imply otherwise. _The brunette glanced over at Wizardmon, currently meditating on some rocks near the lake. _Wizardmon. I wish you wouldn't keep so many secrets. What could possibly be so strong that it's causing you to be afraid?_

Wizardmon murmured calming mantras under his breath, inhaling and exhaling evenly. But no matter how many soothing words he spoke his nerves wouldn't stop jumping around. He couldn't shake this feeling of unease. Maybe it was his recent experience with the Dark Ocean. He still couldn't believe Kari of all people was pulled into that terrible place. Myotismon's actions on Ken sent the boy there, but Kari always seemed like a sweet and kind girl. Did her Crest of Light mean the Darkness would always fight against her, threaten to consume her? What did that mean for Rika, the Crest of Darkness? The Majin stopped muttering his mantras, sighing heavily. _How much longer do I have to lie to my own little sister?_

"Armadillomon Ball!"

_SPLASH!_

Wizardmon sputtered a little as water cascaded down on him. At first, his heart raced as he flashed back to his drowning experience in Tokyo Harbor. Then he opened his eyes to see a sheepish Armadillomon and Cody staring up at him.

"Whoops." Armadillomon chuckled. "Sorry about that, Wizardmon."

"It's not a problem." Wizardmon said, shaking the water off his hat.

"You wanna come in, Wizardmon?" T.K. asked as he walked past.

The wizard Digimon shook his head, trying to not look fervent about it. "No, I'm all right."

"You sure?" T.K. turned and jumped off the rock, landing with another large splash that almost hit Wizardmon again. Patamon laughed as he did a few aerial loop-de-loops and landed in the water. T.K.'s blonde hair hung in his eyes as he rose to the surface. "Come on, Wizardmon. It's fun."

"Yeah, and it's pretty hot today." Cody added. "Aren't you heating up with all those layers?"

"I'm perfectly fine." Wizardmon said, struggling to keep his heart rate down and his eyes away from the water. "I, uh, recently ate some food and I hear it's better to wait an hour before swimming."

"It's really only about twenty minutes." T.K. said. "And that's actually been proven untrue."

"I still feel a little full." Wizardmon lied. "I think I'll wait a bit."

"If you insist." Cody said. "Don't overheat with that cape on." He, Armadillomon, T.K., and Patamon swam off to join the other boys playing water volleyball. Wizardmon stared after them almost longingly, but one look at the water and he began flashing back to his drowning incident again. _No way am I getting in that water. Not now, not ever. _Wizardmon decided. He stood up to return to the house, hopefully to find a better place to meditate, when he heard Veemon screaming for help and Davis's voice shouting, "I'm gonna get you for that, Veemon!" before a force slammed into him. There was a moment of vertigo and feeling of weightlessness and then Wizardmon's back hit the water.

Davis and Veemon began splashing each other, the blue dragon desperately trying to swim away from his trainer. "You said you liked practical jokes!" Veemon whimpered.

"Putting seaweed in my swim shorts is not a joke!" Davis snapped, swinging his arms wildly to grab his Digimon.

Meanwhile, Wizardmon began thrashing around in the water to try and keep his head at the surface. He opened his mouth to shout for help but he only received a mouthful of water. His head soon slipped beneath the waves, and the Majin's panic grew. _No! No please! Gatomon! Rika! Anybody! Help me! _His mind screamed what he wanted to say, but when he opened his mouth more water came in. He reached an arm up to break the surface, to alert someone of his presence, but he already sunk too far down to do it. _Rika….Gatomon…._ Blackness began to consume his vision and mind. _Gatomon…somebody…help me…._

Gatomon's ears twitched and she seized up a little. "Something doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean?" Palmon asked.

"Don't tell me it's a Digimon coming at us." Mimi requested. "I just finished braiding Rika's hair all prettily!"

"I thought we said we'd forget about fighting for the next two days." Rika said, holding still while Mimi pinned a braid into place.

"It's not something that may attack us." Gatomon said, her eyes traveling all around her. She mentally listed everything she saw: the forest, the picnic blanket and food, the girl DigiDestined and their Digimon, Wizardmon's hat floating in the water, the boy DigiDestined and their Digimon, the sand, more trees—

Gatomon's head whipped back around to Wizardmon's hat, currently resting on the surface of the water but already beginning to sink. She bounded over, the girls close behind, and the cat Digimon scooped the hat out of the lake. She looked over to the rocks Wizardmon once meditated on only to find everything except her wizard friend.

"Hey!" Gatomon shouted, halting the boys' game and causing all eyes to turn to her. "Where's Wizardmon?"

"Isn't he meditating on the rocks over there?" T.K. asked, looking to the rocks but blinking in surprise to find them empty.

"He might be in the water." Veemon said.

"_What?!" _Rika and Gatomon shouted in terror, making everyone jump.

"Yeah, Veemon and I accidently ran into him while jumping off the rocks and we all fell in the water." Davis explained. "I thought he would come swimming with us."

Gatomon tossed Wizardmon's hat onto the sand and sprinted to the rocks on all fours. "Hey what's wrong?" Gabumon called.

"Wizardmon can't swim!" Rika shouted, running after Gatomon.

"_WHAT?!" _everyone shouted in shock, swimming/running over to the rocks where Wizardmon fell in.

Gatomon made it long before anyone else did, leaping off a few rocks and diving into the waters. Her eyes widened when she saw Wizardmon's body floating aimlessly in the water several feet down, no signs of voluntary movement. Gatomon swam down as fast as she could, shaking Wizardmon's shoulder to get him to wake up. When that didn't work, she grabbed his wrist in her paws and swam up towards the surface. But she yelped a bit and bubbles floated from her mouth to the surface when Wizardmon's hand stopped moving with her. The cat Digimon pulled as hard as she could, kicking her legs, but Wizardmon wouldn't move. Feeling her lungs crying out for air, she reluctantly let go and swam up. She gasped deeply when her head broke through to open air.

"Gatomon!" Kari called as everyone else finally arrived.

"Somebody please help!" Gatomon cried. "He's stuck on something! I can't pull him up!"

Matt, the fastest swimmer out of everyone there, swam ahead of the others and joined Gatomon as they dived below. Gatomon continued to try and rouse Wizardmon while Matt went deeper, discovering the wizard Digimon's foot stuck in some rocks. The blonde boy let out some air to dive down, grabbing Wizardmon's ankle and foot and gently wrenching him free. Matt swam up and hooked an arm around Wizardmon's chest and grabbing his shoulder. He held Wizardmon to his chest as he and Gatomon swam back up to the top. They broke the surface with deep gasps, coughing a little. Everyone else gathered around, voicing their concerns and staring worriedly at a very limp Wizardmon.

"Everyone back up!" Matt barked, swimming to the shore. "Give him room!" The DigiDestined parted as Matt dragged Wizardmon up to the sand, lying him on his back. Wizardmon stayed terrifyingly still, his eyes closed and his chest not rising and falling like it should.

"Stand back!" Kari ordered, kneeling beside Wizardmon.

"Kari, do you know CPR?" Joe asked, kneeling on the other side of the unconscious Digimon. "I'm not so good at it."

"I was hoping it wouldn't be necessary but he's not breathing and I can't hear his heartbeat." Kari gently but quickly pulled off Wizardmon's skull pin and cowl and set them aside, pushing up his vest and zipping down his jumper so she could reach his chest. She positioned her hands the way she learned and began the compressions, counting under her breath. Then she tiled his chin up and breathed twice into his mouth, trying to avoid the thread over his lips to get the air into his waterlogged lungs. Kari repeated the process, Joe checking Wizardmon's pulse during the breaths but his frown deepening every time he felt nothing. Everyone watched anxiously. Gatomon and Rika looked the most horrified, silently pleading for Wizardmon to give _some _indication of life. Kari started feeling the exhaustion, but continued with the compressions and breathing. "Come on, Wizardmon. Come on." She breathed into his mouth again, and this time Wizardmon's eyes scrunched up a little. He made a gurgling sound in his throat and started coughing. Kari and Joe gently rolled him over to his side and water poured from his mouth and into the sand. Wizardmon coughed up lake water for several seconds, his throat burning. When he finished he breathed heavily, still lying in the sand completely exhausted.

Joe checked Wizardmon's pulse again and sighed in relief. "Well done, Kari."

Kari sighed in tiredness and relief, grinning at the compliment. "Wizardmon? You okay?"

Wizardmon's eyes remained closed, but he nodded slowly.

"Let's get him inside." Joe said. "He needs rest for now." He helped Wizardmon rise and the Digimon leaned heavily on him as they walked into the lake house. Gatomon followed close behind, carrying Wizardmon's hat. The blonde Digimon glanced back towards the DigiDestined, focusing on Rika as she stared at the ground. _Oh great. _He thought as he, Joe, and Gatomon disappeared into the house. _Nice going, Wizardmon. Now she's going to be freaking out and feeling bad for bringing us here._

Nobody really felt like swimming after the incident, so they all gathered on the porch to finish their picnic lunch. Joe and Gatomon soon returned and joined them.

"He fell asleep." Joe reported. "He should be fine after a little nap."

Rika groaned a little. "I should've watched him more carefully. I saw him meditating on those rocks but I never thought he'd fall in."

"None of us saw it coming." Gabumon assured. "It probably would've happened even if you watched him."

"I'm really sorry, Rika." Davis said.

"Yeah, if we hadn't run into him like that it wouldn't have happened." Veemon added.

"But why did Wizardmon sit near the water if he couldn't swim?" Izzy asked.

"More importantly, why didn't he tell us he couldn't swim?" Tentomon asked.

"Remember what Kari once said?" Patamon piped up. "Sometimes it's really hard to admit when you have a weakness."

"It's not just that." Gatomon said in an almost grave voice, making everyone look to the cat. Her sapphire eyes stayed on her food, her heart heavy with the memory. "Four years ago, only minutes after I was united with Kari, Wizardmon and I went to Myotismon's lair to find her Crest of Light. Myotismon found us and we ended up fighting him. When he discovered _I _was the Eighth Digimon, he tried to destroy Wizardmon. He threw my only friend into the harbor, and because Wizardmon couldn't swim I thought he drowned."

"But he survived." Gomamon said. "Somehow he grabbed onto a log and could float to the surface. That's how Joe, T.K., Patamon, and I found him some time after I digivolved to Zudomon."

"I know." Gatomon nodded. "And I was so happy to see him alive when we fought at the TV station. But now that this happened, I start wondering…." She finally looked up with a sad look in her eyes. "How did he feel when he fell into the water? How long did he struggle to breathe when he kept taking in water instead of air? Was he scared? I know Wizardmon; he's one of the strongest Digimon out there. But I can see it in his eyes whenever we cross a bridge over some water or whenever we're near a body of water. He's so scared. I don't want him to be scared anymore."

"It may not seem like it, but this fear has the potential to be a huge disadvantage in battle." Izzy said. "What if you guys need to battle a Digimon in the water or something?"

"I think it's clear what we have to do, guys." Tai said.

"It is?" Rika asked.

"I know you said we were going to take a break, but I think we need to take this time to teach Wizardmon to swim." Tai explained. "Nobody should live in fear of something so simple, and taking care of this will prevent future instances like this from happening."

"Tai may have a point." Joe said. "As harsh as it sounds, the fact of matter is that if Wizardmon could swim then today's incident wouldn't have happened."

"What do you say, Rika?" Sora asked. "After all, Wizardmon's _your _Digimon and pretty much brother. Do you think it's a good idea?"

Rika stared at the ground for a long moment, then smiled. "I think it's a great idea. If a fear can be conquered why hesitate?"

"Then it's settled." Agumon said. "We'll spend tomorrow teaching Wizardmon to swim."

"Hey Izzy, can I borrow your laptop?" Rika asked. "I'm going to change and go to the Real World to grab something."

"Can do." Izzy nodded. Rika turned and jogged into the house.

"What do you think she'll get?" Cody asked.

"Who knows?" Kari shrugged. "This is Rika we're talking about. It could be any number of things."

* * *

><p>Rika's brisk gait made her skip a bit, and she smiled in satisfaction as her shopping bag swung to and fro in her hand. <em>Now to find a computer and get back to the others. <em>She thought. _Izzy said I could use his computer if I crawled through his window to his room. Hopefully his parents didn't lock it or something. _Rika paused in her walking, blinking in surprise. She walked backwards and stopped outside a window to a ramen shop. Peering inside, she smiled at the sight of a familiar raven-haired boy sitting inside.

Ken slurped up the last of his noodles, chewed thoroughly, and swallowed. Then he lifted his bowl to his lips and drank the broth down. He sighed in content at the warm feeling spreading through his chest and stomach. He and Sam always liked coming to this ramen shop, usually without their parents since it was so close to their home. This evening he finally found it in his heart to go back to the shop, unable to do so before because he kept thinking about Sam. While the pain still stung in his heart, he felt a lot better when he started eating. _So many memories. It's strange, but coming back here and eating the same thing Sam and I used to eat actually helps me regain so many good memories._

"Hey Ken."

Ken turned and smiled warmly. "Oh. Hey Rika. What are you doing here?"

"Doing some shopping." Rika said, holding up her bag for emphasis. "Did you get my invitation to come to the lake house?"

Ken's smile shrunk a little. "I did. When did you get a D-terminal?"

"It's actually an old cell phone Izzy had that he reprogrammed with the D-terminal's capabilities." Rika explained. "Why don't you want to hang out with us? I thought maybe you and Wormmon would have a good time at the lake."

"It does sound fun." Ken nodded. "I just feel like I'm unwelcome there. I've done a lot of horrible stuff and I'm just not sure if everyone forgives me. There's too much darkness in me."

"You realize who you're talking to, right?" Rika asked, reaching into her shirt collar and pulling out her tag and Crest for Ken to see.

Ken cracked a smile. "Yeah. Any progress on finding out why you were chosen?"

"Nope." Rika shook her head. "Wizardmon gave me the Crest, but he can't tell me why I was chosen. It's just something I'll have to investigate on my own."

"How _is _Wizardmon?" Ken asked. "Doing okay?"

"Yeah." Rika sighed. "But earlier today he fell into the lake and almost drowned."

"He can't swim?" Ken asked in surprise.

"Not yet. But we're going to spend tomorrow teaching him." Rika checked the time on her D-terminal/phone. "I better get going; everyone's going to start wondering where I am if I don't get back soon. If you want, you should really come. It'd be nice if you came to hang out with us. The weather's really nice and the lake's awesome. Bring Wormmon too."

Ken stared at Rika for a moment before nodding. "I'll think about it." Rika seemed to accept that answer and smiled warmly. Ken rose from his spot. "Hey, why don't you come over to my house and use my computer to open a gate? My parents are out for the evening so you won't have to worrying about sneaking in."

"That'd be great. Thanks." Rika nodded as they exited the restaurant. Ken kept glancing at Rika, somehow just noticing her prettiness. Then Rika told him about her adventure getting Wizardmon out of bed that morning, and the two of them laughed. _I really _do _miss hanging out with Rika. _Ken thought as they continued walking. _And if Wizardmon's struggling with something I guess I should help. But would everyone else accept me? Like the older DigiDestined? Agumon probably isn't very happy with me, neither is his trainer. _He stared a little at Rika. _I wonder…could they ever truly accept me as one of their own? Sam, what would you do? Rika still cares about me; is that all I need?_

* * *

><p>Wizardmon woke up the next morning to find his roommates nowhere in sight. The DigiDestined divided themselves up into the separate rooms last night, but the other beds showed no trace of human nor Digimon. Rubbing his still-tired eyes, Wizardmon put his hat on his head and grabbed his staff as he headed downstairs for breakfast. Gomamon and Patamon came out of their rooms and joined him, both yawning deeply.<p>

"Good morning, Wizardmon." Patamon greeted sleepily. "Sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you." Wizardmon nodded.

"You feeling all right after yesterday?" Gomamon asked.

Wizardmon's grip tightened on his staff. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"We're sorry that happened to you." Gomamon said. "But we're going to make it right."

"What do you mean?" Wizardmon asked as they entered the dining room.

"Don't spoil the surprise!" Mimi giggled.

"Oh okay!" Patamon and Gomamon laughed as they took their seats at the table.

"All right, what's going on?" Wizardmon demanded as he sat down at the table.

"Guess we can't keep it from him." T.K. shrugged. "Better tell him, Rika."

Rika giggled. "Wizardmon, today we're going to teach you to swim!"

Wizardmon started drinking tea, but when he heard the announcement he did a perfect spit-take. "What?"

"We're going to teach you to swim so you don't have to be afraid anymore." Sora explained.

"And then you can save yourself if you fall in water." Yolei added.

"I don't think so." Wizardmon shook his head. "I am perfectly fine with staying away from water."

"Wizardmon, to swim is a valuable skill, for humans and Digimon alike." Hawkmon reasoned. "If you possessed the ability to swim yesterday Kari and Matt wouldn't have needed to save you."

"What if we end up fighting a battle on the water?" Armadillomon brought up Izzy's point from yesterday. "It won't help if you're so freaked out you can't even attack."

Wizardmon stared at the table. "I just don't know if I'll be able to. No Wizardmon in the past and to this day has ever learned to swim; every time one did they ended up drowning. It happened so often that every other Wizardmon just stopped trying."

"Then this'll be great!" Tai said.

"Yeah, just think about it." Gabumon said. "The first Wizardmon to ever learn to swim."

"And we'll be by your side the whole way." Gatomon promised.

Wizardmon still looked nervous, but when he glanced around the room he saw everyone smiling encouragingly. Realizing he most likely wouldn't win this argument, he sighed heavily. "Well, I can see I am outmatched and you're all most likely going to force me into this anyway. I suppose I could try it. But if I don't learn to swim by the end of the day I'm never touching water again."

"Okay then!" Rika stood up, walking over to Wizardmon with her shopping bag from yesterday in her hands. "We'll all change into our swim suits and go out to get started. The sooner we start, the sooner you're swimming. Since you don't have a swimsuit, I bought you these." Rika lifted a garment from the bag, revealing it to be a pair of boy's swim trunks, black with large teal stars all over them.

"I'm not wearing that." Wizardmon droned.

"Yes you are." Rika said, dropping the shorts into Wizardmon's lap. "You can't wear all those layers; once they get wet they'll get heavy and weigh you down. Until you learn to swim you need to dress light."

Wizardmon groaned. "Why do you torture me?"

Once they all finished breakfast and changed into their swimwear, the DigiDestined gathered outside and prepared for the lessons. The sun shone bright and warm, the waters a little cool but otherwise perfect. Rika did a head count and turned to see Wizardmon's silhouette against the rice paper doors. "Come on, Wizardmon!" Rika called. "You can't avoid this!"

"Do I have to wear these stupid shorts?" Wizardmon called.

"Yes, now come on!" Rika ordered with a laugh. Wizardmon groaned loudly and finally opened the door to walk out and join them. His new swim trunks actually looked good on him, but some of the kids and Digimon seemed surprised to discover that under Wizardmon's baggy jumper and long cape he had a slight lanky figure, looking almost skin and bones. His skin was flawless, and if it wasn't for the gray complexion and the thread over his mouth Wizardmon could be a regular preteen human boy.

"I feel stupid." Wizardmon grumbled, blowing his bangs from his eyes only to have them fall back again.

"I think you look cute!" Mimi gushed, only making Wizardmon groan again.

"You're really going to force me into this." The Majin sighed.

"It'll be okay, Wizardmon." Cody assured. "I used to be really scared of water until my friends literally pushed me into conquering my fears. Everything will work out."

"No worries." Tai said. "This is what we're going to do: each of us came up with a teaching strategy last night and we're all going to try them out. With all of our combined methods we should result in your learning to swim."

"Really?" Wizardmon raised an eyebrow. "_That's _your strategy? What if I drown again?"

"There will always be someone nearby to help you." Kari assured. "Whoever is teaching you will make sure you don't drown."

The Majin gulped a little, looking a little green. _I'm gonna die._

Tai and Agumon went first with everyone else sitting on the beach to watch. "Okay, so the root of your problem seems to be that you're a big scaredy-cat when it comes to swimming." Tai started.

"Gee, thanks." Wizardmon droned. "That makes me feel _so _much better."

Agumon elbowed his trainer's leg. "Not the best starter for a lesson."

"Well, the point is you just have to be brave." Tai said. "If you can be brave, you can conquer your fear of swimming."

"So what do you expect me to do?" Wizardmon asked.

"You just have to jump in and face your fear head on!" Tai said, he and Agumon running into the lake and jumping in.

"You're insane." Wizardmon called.

"Just come on!" Tai shouted.

"No way!" Wizardmon snapped.

Tai thought for a moment. "Hey, I know!" the older teen ran inside the lake house and emerged with some rope. He pulled Wizardmon over to the rocks and handed the Majin one end of the rope. "Just jump in and swim. If you believe you can swim then you'll do it. If that doesn't work, yank on the rope and I'll pull you up."

Wizardmon looked over the edge of the rocks to the deep waters below. "I'm _really _not sure about this."

"Just do it before I push you in!" Tai encouraged.

"That doesn't really help!" Kari chided her brother.

Wizardmon sighed, gulping audibly. He covered his eyes with one hand and stepped off the edge of the rock, slipping below the waters of the lake. Everyone waited anxiously, but suddenly the rope tightened and Tai pulled it hurriedly. Wizardmon's head broke through the surface and he gasped deeply, coughing a bit. Tai and Agumon pulled Wizardmon onto solid ground, and the Majin glared at them in irritation.

The rest of the DigiDestined took their turns, with one human and Digimon duo teaching Wizardmon and the others watching from their spots on the beach. Mimi and Palmon tried bringing Wizardmon out onto the waters with a boat so he would get used to being so far from shore. But Wizardmon's nervousness rose until he accidently shot a Thunder Ball and spooked Mimi so much the boat rocked and then overturned. Luckily, Palmon managed to climb on top of the boat and pulled Mimi and Wizardmon up with her. They returned to shore and T.K. and Patamon tried to at least get Wizardmon to wade out to the deeper water. But they soon abandoned the idea when Wizardmon started hyperventilating and showing early signs of a panic attack. Matt and Gabumon showed how to do a doggy paddle ("It's really popular in the Real World, especially with kids." Matt explained). But every time Wizardmon tried to put his chest in the water he complained that he couldn't breathe. Gabumon continued to encourage him, but then the Majin suddenly had a full-on panic attack and Gabumon needed to hurriedly drag him to shore.

Wizardmon caught sight of Rika, who hadn't spoken nor moved from her spot during the training sessions. She wouldn't look at her Digimon, which only made Wizardmon feel worse about the situation. _I have to be brave, strong. For Rika. She's not afraid of anything, not even the powers of darkness. How is it she can be so brave while I'm afraid of a little water? I need to keep trying. I can't let her down._

Izzy and Tentomon's lesson didn't involve very much time in the water. Rather, Izzy used his laptop to show the different muscle groups in a human (the closest thing to Wizardmon's theoretical muscle structure) and explain the mechanics of how each one moved when someone swam. He also thoroughly explained the movement of each stroke from the doggy paddle to the butterfly stroke. Wizardmon tried to pay attention, but when Izzy finished he looked so confused he almost fell over. He then told Izzy outright that he would never be able to remember all of that while in the water. Cody tried the same approach his friends used when he was afraid; he explained that they literally pushed him into a submarine so he was forced to go into the water. Wizardmon adamantly refused and threatened to fry Armadillomon with a Thunder Ball if he tried it. Yolei and Hawkmon tried a more direct approach; she Armor Digivolved Hawkmon to Halsemon, then she and Wizardmon rode the bird Digimon out to the middle of the lake. Then Yolei shouted, "Look out! Arukenimon!" Wizardmon jumped and prepared for battle, but before he could realize Yolei tricked him the girl shoved him off Halsemon and into the water. When they noticed Wizardmon not surfacing, Halsemon dived down to retrieve him. Wizardmon sputtered and spit water out, and when Yolei asked if he was okay he shouted, "I'm going to kill you!" along with a number of other unrepeatable words. At least, everyone assumed they were unrepeatable; he spoke them in a language nobody could understand. Joe and Gomamon decided on a simpler and calmer technique. Gomamon digivolved to Ikkakumon and Joe and Wizardmon climbed onto his head. He swam out smoothly to the lake, back and forth from the deep end to the shallower parts of the water. Wizardmon started relaxing a bit more, watching Ikkakumon's movements through the waters. But then he slipped off the water Digimon's head and needed to be saved again.

_This is _really _getting tedious. _Wizardmon thought as Ikkakumon carried them back to the shore. _How am I supposed to learn to swim like this? Either the DigiDestined can't teach or I simply can't learn. But I can't give up. Every time I fail it seems Rika gets more and more disappointed. She won't even look at me. What in the DigiWorld is so hard about swimming? Why can't I fight this fear? _He sighed heavily. _I'm more pathetic than I think._

Sora and Biyomon went next, only they taught him something a little different: how to float. Wizardmon seemed surprised, but followed Sora out to semi-deep water. He still wouldn't go past waist-deep water, but that's all Sora needed to demonstrate. She moved to her back and showed how to take deep breaths and hold them in, explaining how the air in her lungs increased buoyancy and kept her afloat. Wizardmon felt extremely nervous about taking his feet off the sand, but let Sora help him. Despite his fierce trembling and starting out hyperventilating, the Digimon soon managed to calm down and breathe evenly.

"Hey, it's actually working." Kari said. "We're finally making progress."

"Isn't that great, Rika?" Gatomon turned to the girl.

Rika looked up at Wizardmon and smiled softly. "Yeah. That's _really _great. He's doing well."

By the time Sora finished her lesson and Wizardmon could float with ease, the poor wizard Digimon looked exhausted. "Can we take a break before I dedigivolve and collapse?" he whined a little.

"It is a good time for lunch." Mimi said. "Let's eat!" Everyone else agreed and journeyed inside to make themselves food. Then they returned to the porch to eat in the sunlight.

Yolei watched Wizardmon eat, paying close attention to how he would take small bunches of rice in his chopsticks and purposefully stick the food into his mouth, right between two lines of thread. It seemed so natural, but Yolei still couldn't stop staring.

Wizardmon finally seemed to notice and turned to her. "What is it?"

"Nothing." Yolei said. "It's just, I've been wondering something. How is it your mouth is sewn up but not the rest of you? Ever since I first saw the thread over your mouth, I always imagined you as a Frankenstein-like Digimon."

"I've been wondering that too." Hawkmon said. "It's very unusual."

"I think we _all _wonder about it." Gatomon said, earning a few nods from the other DigiDestined.

"Nobody really knows for sure, not even me. Legend has it that the first Wizardmon ever created caused a lot of trouble with his words." Wizardmon explained. "It got so bad he even disrespected a divine Digimon called Xuanwumon. As punishment, he sewed the Wizardmon's mouth completely shut and cursed future Wizardmon with the same fate. Years later, another Wizardmon performed many arduous tasks so that future Wizardmon kinds would be forgiven and freed from the curse. Although the thread is now loose enough so to speak and eat properly, it will remain on our mouths to remind us of our mistakes."

"But it wasn't your fault." Cody argued. "It was that first Wizardmon."

"Even so, sometimes the mistakes we make affect more than just ourselves." Wizardmon said. "That was the lesson the first Wizardmon learned the hard way. There are people and Digimon that think only of themselves so often that they don't see how others react. Like when Ken was the Digimon Emperor. It is by learning of past mistakes do we gain better chances of learning for the future."

Everyone became silent, continuing to eat and mulling over the sage advice. _Sometimes I forget how wise Wizardmon can be. _Kari thought. _I have to remember that he trained for a long time to gain the magical knowledge he has now, and that probably took a lot of studying and traveling. _She smiled softly, and Wizardmon caught sight and returned the gesture. _I wonder…if I could ever be so wise._

Davis and Veemon offered to teach Wizardmon next. They led him to the rocks and Davis stood tall, his hands behind his back and looking ready for a lecture.

"Now, swimming is really simpler than you think." Davis said. "It takes guts to jump in and risk drowning, but that's why you swim: to save yourself from drowning."

_Somehow I don't think this will help. _Wizardmon thought. Davis continued to ramble on about swimming, covering everything from great swimming athletes to how lifeguards do their jobs and why. When Davis finished his very lengthy lecture, Wizardmon finally asked, "So what's your point?"

"My point is man up and get in the water!" Davis suddenly shoved Wizardmon and the Digimon started falling off the rocks. He waved his arms wildly but couldn't stop himself from falling backwards and head first into the water.

"That Davis." Yolei sighed.

"Right idea, wrong approach." Tai noted as Veemon jumped into the water to save the drowning Wizardmon.

Kari sighed. "Okay. Now it's mine and Gatomon's turn."

Wizardmon sputtered and coughed up water. He glared up at Davis, who shrunk down nervously. The Majin opened his mouth to shout at the human when Kari suddenly appeared, leading Wizardmon away from the brunette boy. "Okay, clearly that didn't work." Kari chuckled. "But don't worry. Gatomon and I will help you."

"Just forget it." Wizardmon whispered so no one else would hear. "I'm hopeless, Kari. Just hopeless."

"You did great with Sora." Kari corrected. "I think your problem is you're not used to water and once we sort that out it'll make things a lot easier." She took Wizardmon's hand in her own and started walking towards the water. "Just hold onto my hand and we'll just wade around in the water for a bit. Don't let go and I promise you'll be okay."

Wizardmon gulped a little, but nodded. Kari and Gatomon walked into the lake waters until it reached the human girl's waist. Wizardmon's grip tightened on her hand, but Kari just cast a reassuring smile and they continued to move through the water. Gatomon paddled beside them, smiling and giving words of encouragement. After a while, Kari felt Wizardmon's grip grow softer. _He's becoming more relaxed. That's good. _

"I'd like to try floating again." Wizardmon requested in a small voice.

_I'm still not used to such a timid tone. _Gatomon mentally sighed. _This isn't the same Wizardmon who helped me fight Myotismon. He's changed too much and I don't like it._

"Okay." Kari nodded. Wizardmon took a breath and laid back on the water, taking breaths like Sora taught him. He kept his eyes closed and focused on staying relaxed, murmuring a few more calming mantras. He didn't even notice Kari letting go of his hand. The brunette and her Digimon watched Wizardmon just in case he needed help. Wizardmon continued his breathing for several minutes before he decided to open his eyes. Above him, the skies didn't hold a single cloud and the afternoon sun cloaked him in warmth. He smiled softly, hardly feeling the water on him.

Then, a small black shape caught his sight, and his eyes squinted a little to better make it out. "Is that…BlackWarGreymon?"

"Hey Wizardmon! You're really getting far out there aren't you?"

Davis's outburst earned him a fist to the head from Yolei, but it already caused Wizardmon to jump a little and swing himself upright. His irises and pupils constricted in fear when he realized just how far he rested from the shoreline: a hundred feet at least. Suddenly, the waters became cold and Wizardmon's body went rigid. When his head slipped below the waters he began thrashing around trying to resurface.

"Wizardmon!" Gatomon cried, her and Kari swimming out to him. They did a good job staying near Wizardmon and Kari grabbed his arms before he could sink any farther down. She pulled him up and hugged him to her chest, letting him cough and sputter.

"Wizardmon, you okay?" Kari asked worriedly.

Gatomon took Wizardmon's hand, staring at him. "Wizardmon?"

The wizard Digimon, once he recovered from his shock and terror, suddenly became very angry. He shot up into the air, carrying Kari and Gatomon with him, and flew over to the beach. He dropped Kari and Gatomon on the sand and began stomping to the house.

"Wizardmon—" Biyomon moved to stop the Digimon.

"No!" Wizardmon suddenly shouted, whipping around and glaring at everyone. "I'm done! Okay, I'm done! The fact of the matter is I sink like a rock in water! Nothing can change that! So we're never going to bring this up again, got it?"

The air became deathly silent as the DigiDestined stared at Wizardmon. They never heard such a strong and angry tone from the usually calm Digimon. Wizardmon's jade green orbs glanced over to Rika, who still wouldn't look at him. His face still held the anger as he glared at the ground, but inside he berated himself. _Great. Now I've done it. I didn't mean to lose my temper, but I just can't do this anymore. I'll never learn to do such a simple task and there's nothing I can do about it._

"I'd like to disagree."

They all turned at the new voice and noticed two new figures standing some feet away from them. "Hey Ken!" Davis greeted enthusiastically. "Hiya Wormmon!"

"We decided to accept Rika's offer to come swimming!" Wormmon said. "It sounds fun!"

"And I heard a certain Digimon doesn't even know how to swim." Ken looked to Wizardmon.

The Majin looked down. "That's right. And I'll never know how."

"I doubt that." Ken said. "Wormmon, you and everyone else go have fun. I'm going to teach Wizardmon to swim."

"What makes you think you can do that?" Wizardmon demanded. "Are you supposed to be a miracle worker?"

"Just trust me." Ken said, shedding his sweatshirt so he only wore his black swim trunks. "Run along now, everyone. I'll take care of this." The DigiDestined exchanged looks, but dispersed to play in the waters. Ken gestured to a spot of shoreline and water a ways away from the rowdy kids and Digimon, and Wizardmon sighed as he joined Ken.

"You sure about this?" Wizardmon asked as they approached the water.

"Positive." Ken nodded. "I watched your lessons and everyone has the right idea but they're execution isn't too great."

"So what are _you _going to have me do?" Wizardmon demanded.

Ken smiled. "Just do as I say. Stand beside me and we'll walk into the water. Don't ask questions; just do as I say." Wizardmon sighed, but did as Ken asked and they started wading into the waters. The Majin paused briefly as the waves lapped around his ankles, and for a moment he feared as though some creature would drag him under. But Ken gave another reassuring smile, so Wizardmon took a breath and followed the boy. The two of them stopped when the water hit their chests. Ken instructed Wizardmon to just walk back and forth in the water, sometimes going into shallower water and sometimes venturing into deeper water that hit their chins. After a few minutes of the wandering, they stopped with the water level at their chests.

"What was the point of this?" Wizardmon asked.

"It's how my brother Sam taught me to swim. Tell me, Wizardmon, during this entire exercise and including right this moment, can you breathe?" Ken asked.

Wizardmon blinked. "Well, yes. I can breathe just fine."

"And why is that?"

"Because my head is above water of course."

"Exactly. Because you're able to stand up. You can put your feet on solid ground, or I guess semi-solid sandy ground, and it keeps your head above the waves. That's going to help a lot."

"But how?"

"Here's the thing: not all fears can be conquered in a single day. It doesn't happen often, but sometimes it does. Most of the time, you need to tackle your fears little by little, step by step, until they're nonexistent. In your case, you won't be able to lose your fear of swimming in a single day. You need to practice over the course of a couple days to build up your confidence. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I think so."

"For now, you just have to keep in mind that as long as you can touch the ground and it keeps your head above water, you can save yourself from drowning. Plus, this water is still plenty deep enough for you to practice different swimming strokes. When you get tired or feel uncomfortable, just stop swimming and stand up. Come on, try it."

Wizardmon seemed nervous again, but Ken already swam a few feet away from him. "Are you sure?"

"Just swim over to me." Ken said. "And if you need a break you just stand up."

Wizardmon nodded slowly and took a breath, lifting his feet off the sandy floor. His head halfway slipped below the waters, but he started moving his limbs the way Ikkakumon did and his head stayed up. Before he knew it, he began moving across the waters. But he only made it halfway to Ken before he stopped and swung his legs down to touch the ground. He put his full weight on his legs and his head stayed above water, much to his relief.

"I can't do it." Wizardmon said. "I just can't."

"Nonsense." Ken said, swimming over. "You're doing great!" Wizardmon still looked unsure. "Okay, I want you to try one more thing." Ken swam over to be beside the Digimon. "I want you to sit down."

"Here?" Wizardmon pointed the spot he stood in.

"Yes." Ken nodded. "I know, you think I'm crazy. But trust me; just take a breath in, hold it, and drop. When you feel like you need air, stand up again."

Wizardmon wanted to protest, but Ken already slipped down under the water. When he still didn't dive down, Ken suddenly grabbed his hand and yanked him down. Wizardmon barely had time to take in air as his head disappeared beneath the waves. His muscles tensed and refused to move, his eyes squeezed shut. Something tapped him on the shoulder and he allowed one eyelid to raise. Ken's smiling face greeted him and gestured to the open water before them. Wizardmon gathered what bravery he had left (while also fighting the bile in his throat) and opened both eyes to look. The clearness of the waters revealed the natural beauty consisting of pale sand, schools of tiny fish, turtles here and there, and even some fish-type Digimon. Wizardmon started feeling his muscles relax, but when he accidently let out some of the air in his lungs his mind forced him to remember drowning in Tokyo Harbor. Beginning to panic, he pushed up with his legs and stood up straight, his head bursting through the surface. Ken rose up with him, gasping deeply like he did but looking much calmer.

"Sorry." Wizardmon panted a little. "Too many bad memories. I thought I was drowning again." _Why can't I forget that? It's really amazing, the power of a traumatizing event. How am I supposed to learn to swim if that memory keeps coming back?_

"No, it's okay. You did great." Ken assured. He noticed Wizardmon's still-glum face, his eyes hidden by his bangs. "Wizardmon, why do you want to learn to swim? It can't just be to lose your fear."

The blonde Digimon sighed. "It's Rika. At first, I didn't want to do this. But then I noticed Rika wouldn't look at me. She had this look on her face. Like she was disappointed in me for not learning this. I envy Rika; she has the strength to fight any number of obstacles without fail. I can't even learn what T.K. calls a 'doggy paddle'. What kind of DigiDestined Digimon am I if I can't do something so simple?" He still wouldn't raise his head, but Ken heard the faint _plip _of tears falling into the water. "I've failed my partner."

"No you haven't." Ken said. "Rika isn't disappointed with you; she probably just didn't want to watch you get hurt like that. She hates seeing you in pain."

"You're just saying that." Wizardmon said.

"No, I'm not." Ken insisted. "She disappeared last night and probably didn't tell anyone where she was going, right?" Wizardmon nodded, surprised Ken knew that. "Well, she ran into to me and we talked for a while. She said she was still a little worried about what it meant to be a DigiDestined of Darkness. But most of all, she said she was really concerned for you. She probably doesn't want me to tell you this, but I think you need to know. I don't think you realize this, but you're all Rika has left in the world."

"What do you mean?" Wizardmon asked. "She seems pretty happy to have the other DigiDestined as friends, especially you."

"But think back to before that." Ken said. "Rika told me what happened to her family and your travels in the Digital World. You have to understand, Wizardmon, that when you escaped to the Digital World and made the decision that you and Rika would live there permanently it left an impact. Rika didn't have any other home; no parents or grandparents; no house to return to for suppertime; not even a change of clothes. She only had you. You, her loyal Digimon partner and loving older brother, took it upon yourself to care for her and give her the best life you could give. As a result, she clung to you like a lifeline. Right now, it doesn't matter that Rika's trying to connect with us and making a new family out of the DigiDestined. She only cares about you. If she loses you, then she will lose her last connection to her family. It'll be the only thing that could break her spirit."

Wizardmon stared at Ken for a moment before his gaze turned to Rika playing volleyball with the other kids. "I guess I never thought about it before. Rika always seemed so strong and independent."

"You never did see it, did you? She really relies on you more than anyone. She loves you." Ken turned and waded back to the shoreline. "You know what else you never noticed? You've been standing in that chest-high water for about ten minutes now."

* * *

><p>Ken politely refused to stay the night at the house, returning home with Wormmon soon after dinner. As night fell and everyone realized how exhausted they felt, the humans and Digimon began drifting off to their rooms, one by one, until they all rested in their beds for a good night's sleep. But T.K. found he couldn't sleep too well; he soon started thinking he shouldn't have eaten that extra piece of cake after dinner. He rolled over, thinking if he didn't face the moonlight he'd sleep better. But his eyes widened a little when he noticed Wizardmon not in his bed. T.K. sat up and noticed the Digimon's clothes in a pile on the floor. Confused, the blonde boy rose from his bed and journeyed down the hall and through the house, searching for Wizardmon. But he had a pretty good guess where he disappeared to, and when T.K. checked he found Wizardmon standing by the shores of the lake, just as expected. He wore his black swim trunks Rika got him, but he looked frozen in the spot. T.K. walked over and cleared his throat.<p>

Wizardmon jumped, looking very much startled by T.K.'s sudden appearance. He sighed, putting a hand to his chest. "Don't scare me like that."

"Sorry." T.K. chuckled. "I noticed you out of bed and came to check on you. Taking a little midnight dip?"

Wizardmon didn't answer for a moment. "I'm going to swim across this lake. Alone. Then in the morning I can do it again in front of everyone."

"But what if you get tired and start drowning?" T.K. said. "It's not a good idea."

"I have to do this." Wizardmon said firmly.

"What are you trying to prove?" T.K. asked, more out of curiosity than anger.

"I don't know." Wizardmon admitted. "That I can do it? That I'm not as worthless as I think I am? I just have to practice once so I can do it tomorrow."

T.K. could tell he wouldn't be able to sway Wizardmon's decision. "Okay. But can you wait so I can change into my swimsuit and I'll come with you? I would feel better if I could be there in case you need me."

Wizardmon nodded, and T.K. disappeared into the house. He returned in his own swimwear and stood beside Wizardmon, waiting for the Digimon's first move. Wizardmon took a breath and began wading out into the lake. Though the water felt much colder now that night fell, his stubbornness forced him to keep going. The two of them reached waters that splashed their necks and Wizardmon pushed off to swim. But suddenly he went under and no amount of limb movement could help him rise. T.K. grabbed his arm and hoisted the Digimon to the surface.

"You sure you want to do this?" T.K. asked.

"Positive." Wizardmon said firmly.

T.K. nodded in understanding and grabbed a log floating nearby. "Well until you get to be a stronger swimmer, you can hold onto this."

"Isn't that taking the easy way out?" Wizardmon muttered.

"No, it's making sure you don't drown so you can swim." T.K. corrected. "Everyone does it."

Wizardmon sighed, but grabbed the log and contented himself with just kicking to push him along. T.K. swam beside him, watching in case Wizardmon had another panic attack. The wizard Digimon kept his eyes closed, holding onto the log like his life depended on it. T.K. could hear him murmuring something in a language he couldn't recognize.

"What are those strange words you always seem to be speaking? It looks like they calm you down." T.K. noted.

"They're calming mantras I learned." Wizardmon said. "They help me clear my mind and relax my spirit."

"They help you focus." T.K. guessed, earning a nod from the wizard. "Then that's it. Whenever you feel like you're panicking when you're swimming just repeat a calming mantra in your head. It'll help you focus your mind and you can think better in a crisis situation."

"You think it'll work?" Wizardmon asked. "I'm not so good at remembering my mantras when I'm panicking."

"It's worth a shot." T.K. shrugged.

Wizardmon nodded, finally opening his eyes and stopping. "We need to rest for a while, if that's okay."

"Whatever you need to do." T.K. nodded, treading water. "You're actually doing great; we're about halfway to the other side."

Wizardmon nodded aimlessly, resting his head on the log.

* * *

><p><em>He didn't know how long he floated on that log in the harbor; he kept going in and out of consciousness and it took all of his limited strength to hold onto the floating wood. Then he noticed a looming shadow in the fog, this one bulkier than the MegaSeadramon that guarded the bridge. Then, he realized it was Zudomon, the Digimon who digivolved from the Ikkakumon from before. He belonged to one of the DigiDestined. <em>The DigiDestined….they can help me find Gatomon! That is, if they don't destroy me first. Then again, it's either that or drown here.

"_Take me…to Gatomon….please!" Suddenly, a wave swept over his head and he went under. The waters seemed to get choppier and rougher, probably from the freaky weather Myotismon caused. But he soon surfaced again and found Zudomon stopped several feet in front of him. Two humans and a Patamon rested in one of his paws. They stared at him, the smaller boy looking worried and the taller one more suspicious. But at the moment, they were his only hope of saving Gatomon. "I'm Wizardmon….must find Gatomon…..important….."_

"_Not so fast there!" the taller boy snapped. "Aren't you one of Myotismon's henchmen?"_

"_He looks beat up pretty bad." The smaller boy said in concern._

"_Got to give…..Gatomon…this…." Wizardmon held up the Crest of Light in his hand for the boys to see, hoping it would convince them of his goodness but feeling his strength diminishing._

"_Look, he's got somebody's Crest!" the smaller boy pointed out._

"_Yes….it belongs to…the Eighth Child….." Wizardmon groaned as he fell back into unconsciousness._

* * *

><p>"T.K.?" Wizardmon piped up. "Do you remember when we first met?"<p>

"You mean when Joe and I found you in the harbor?" T.K. clarified. "Yeah. I remember. You were floating on a log just like this."

"Why did you help me?" Wizardmon asked.

"What do you mean?" T.K.'s head tilted to one side in confusion.

"You know what I mean." Wizardmon said. "Joe knew I was one of Myotismon's henchmen yet you still chose to trust me. Was it because I had Kari's Crest?"

"Well, I think that certainly swayed Joe to help." T.K. admitted. "I mean, we were really getting down to the wire at the time, searching for the Eighth Child. But even if you didn't have the Crest, I would've convinced Joe to help you."

"Why? When you knew that I could've just as easily betrayed you." Wizardmon asked.

"I'm really not sure." T.K. said. "It was a feeling I got when you talked and how you looked. You seemed sincere enough. Something in my gut told me you could be trusted, and I always trust my gut. Besides, you were hurt and needed help. I wasn't about to let you die when there was an opportunity to save you. If you turned out to be evil, Joe and I would've taken the Crest and left you on the sidewalk to fend for yourself. But we didn't; because you showed sincere kindness through your actions." He smiled at Wizardmon. "I'll never regret what I decided that day for a minute."

Wizardmon stared off into space, but then turned his head to lock his jade green eyes with T.K.'s dark blue ones. The Digimon smiled softly. "Thank you T.K. I am very thankful to have a friend like you."

T.K.'s smile grew. "Hey, since we're already halfway across the lake, you wanna turn around and go back now? Then at least you can say you swam the length of the lake on your own."

Wizardmon sighed tiredly. "Let's do that. I'm exhausted."

T.K. laughed as they turned around and started their trek back to the house. The blonde boy kept smiling the entire way, glancing at Wizardmon now and then. The Digimon seemed a lot more relaxed in the water, no longer holding fear in his eyes.

* * *

><p>"<em>It belongs to…the Eighth Child…" the Digimon, Wizardmon, groaned painfully as his head fell limp on the log, unconscious.<em>

"_The Eighth Child!" Joe and T.K. gasped. Suddenly, Wizardmon began slipping down into the water, sliding off the log._

"_Quick Zudomon!" Joe yelped. "Grab him!"_

_Patamon flapped his wings as fast as he could and grabbed Wizardmon's wrist, desperately trying to keep him above water. Zudomon moved his paw forward used his claws to scoop the Digimon up without dropping the DigiDestined in the water. Patamon returned to T.K. and Wizardmon hit Zudomon's palm, coughing and spitting up some water. Apart from that, he lay very limply._

"_You guys better ride up on my shell." Zudomon suggested. "You'll be safer there and then I can get to Odaiba faster."_

"_Okay Zudomon." Joe nodded. "Just be careful."_

_Zudomon brought his paw around to one of the metal knobs on his shell. Joe hooked his hands under Wizardmon's arms and pulled him up onto Zudomon's shell, T.K. and Patamon close behind. Zudomon continued to swim while Joe leaned Wizardmon against the metal knob._

"_You think he's going to be okay?" T.K. asked._

"_Maybe." Joe said. He, T.K., and Patamon sat back and stared at the Digimon. "But just by looking I can tell he's hurt really badly. He may not make it."_

"_We can't just let him die." T.K. protested._

"_T.K., he might be evil." Joe said. "We can leave him somewhere safe in the city, but I just don't know if it's a good idea to keep him with us. I think we should just take the Crest and we'll take him to dry land." Joe moved forward and lifted Wizardmon's gloved hand to take the Crest. But Wizardmon's fingers suddenly curled and his grip tightened around the precious pendant. Joe jumped back to T.K. and the two of them stared at the apparently still-living wizard Digimon. But after that brief bout of strength, the wounded Digimon fell still again and his fingers around the Crest relaxed. Before any of them could do anything else, the Crest of Light began to glow brightly._

"_What's it doing?" T.K. breathed. He stared at the Crest for a moment before a motion caught his eye, and he looked up to Wizardmon's face. Through the glow of the Crest and resting under straw-colored bangs, a pair of jade green eyes stared back at him. T.K. scooted a little closer to the Digimon, despite Joe and Patamon warning him to be careful. The young boy stared at Wizardmon for a moment, noticing how his eyes held strength but also a little fear._

_Finally, T.K. smiled. "Hey there. Are you okay?" The Digimon didn't move nor respond. "Okay. Um, blink once for yes and twice for no. Your name's Wizardmon, right?"_

_Blink._

"_Are you hurt?"_

_Blink._

"_You were attacked, weren't you?"_

_Blink._

"_We're the DigiDestined, and we know you work for Myotismon. But I once met a couple of his goons, Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon, who turned out to be really nice. Are you our enemy?"_

_Blink, blink._

_T.K.'s smile grew. "Don't worry, Wizardmon. You're gonna be okay. I promise."_

_The fear left Wizardmon's eyes, and he gave a soft sigh as he fell back into a comatose state._

* * *

><p>A cold, almost slimy feeling on his foot jolted T.K. from his memory. "Uh, Wizardmon? Tell me that was your foot that touched me."<p>

Wizardmon gulped, having also felt the slimy feeling on his foot. "Unfortunately, no."

Suddenly, something lifted the boy and the Digimon out of the water and threw them into the air. They shouted in surprise as they flew high up into the sky and then fell right back into the water. T.K. grabbed Wizardmon and brought them up to the surface. They gasped as their attacker made itself known: as a monstrous MegaSeadramon.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" T.K. groaned. "What's that guy doing here?"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that's a Control Spire Digimon." Wizardmon said.

"Oh even better." T.K. droned.

MegaSeadramon roared and slapped his tail down, coming inches from T.K. and Wizardmon. _"Thunder Ball!" _Wizardmon threw the attack, but when it collided with MegaSeadramon it only seemed to make him angrier.

"Well that didn't help." Wizardmon gulped a little. "Without my staff I'll have to rely on my magic. I don't suppose you have a plan?"

"I got a plan." T.K. assured.

"What's that?" Wizardmon asked.

"_Help us! Somebody help us!" _T.K. shouted at the top of his lungs.

"That's not a plan!" Wizardmon snapped. MegaSeadramon roared again and dived underwater, surfacing and carrying the two of them into the air on his head.

"You got a better one?" T.K. shouted in terror as he and Wizardmon held on tight.

"No, not really!" Wizardmon shouted back. They both began shouting and screaming for help while MegaSeadramon tossed his head around, trying to knock them off.

Matt bolted upright in his bed. "What the heck?" He ran to the window and saw MegaSeadramon and heard the shouting. Then he looked to the empty beds in the room and he gasped. "T.K.! Wizardmon!"

T.K. and Wizardmon held tight to MegaSeadramon's green mane, even when the evil Control Spire Digimon dived down into the lake. He did that multiple times, unable to reach around to grab them and not quite smart enough to realize he could use his tail. The boy and Digimon kept their tight grips, still screaming terrifyingly when they didn't go underwater. Wizardmon no longer sent attacks, too freaked out from forcibly going underwater so many times.

Then, a force collided with MegaSeadramon and prevented him from diving again. T.K. opened his eyes and he smiled. "Ikkakumon!"

"Don't worry! The cavalry's here!" Ikkakumon said, still wrestling with MegaSeadramon. Coming up behind the white-furred Digimon, a horde of DigiDestined Digimon charged into battle to help their friends. Sora, Kari, and Tai rode their respective Digimon, and Matt joining them riding atop Greymon.

"T.K.!" Angemon shouted, shooting down towards the sea serpent Digimon. MegaSeadramon launched lighting from the spike on his forehead, hitting Angemon and causing him to crash into Aquilamon. The two of them fell into the lake.

"Okay guys, give him what you got!" Kari called from Nefertimon. "But don't hit T.K. and Wizardmon!"

"Get them out first and then we can take care of this giant sea slug!" Submarimon ordered.

Unfortunately, they soon discovered this was easier said than done. MegaSeadramon thrashed around and threw attacks wildly, not necessarily aiming for the other Digimon. He slapped them with his tail and bit into them. While the DigiDestined Digimon managed to throw a couple attacks, they either missed or hesitated because one of their friends became caught in the line of fire. It soon became apparent that they're current plan wouldn't work, but none of them could really think of a new plan when MegaSeadramon kept shooting towards them.

Suddenly, MegaSeadramon gave and extra hard jerk of the head, slamming into Kabuterimon and knocking T.K. loose. Wizardmon instinctively grabbed the boy's wrist in one hand while keeping a tight grip on the sea Digimon's mane with the other.

"Angemon!" Wizardmon shouted. "Catch!" He threw T.K. with all his strength, away from MegaSeadramon and giving Angemon the chance to swoop in and grab the boy. Wizardmon pulled himself up onto MegaSeadramon's armored head, but then slipped and began sliding down the metal. He managed to grab the edge of the eyehole and stopped his fall. MegaSeadramon growled, reaching his tongue around as though to pull the wizard into his mouth. Wizardmon planted his fist into MegaSeadramon's eye, causing the sea dragon to screech in pain and throw his head up. Wizardmon flew up into the air, finally a safe distance from MegaSeadramon.

"Nefertimon! Go!" Garurumon ordered.

"Kari, grab him!" Nefertimon called, shooting up towards Wizardmon. Kari nodded and reached an arm out, Wizardmon doing the same to take it.

But their fingertips barely touched as MegaSeadramon's tail shot up, wrapped around Wizardmon, and pulled him below the lake waters.

"Wizardmon!" Kari and Nefertimon screamed.

"We must find them!" Birdramon said urgently.

"But where'd he go?" ExVeemon asked. "They've both disappeared!"

"I'm going after them!" Ikkakumon announced, diving into the waters.

Deeper down, MegaSeadramon carried Wizardmon farther and farther into the depths of the lake. Wizardmon struggled fiercely, fighting to break free from the serpent's tail. Water tried to force its way into his mouth, but he kept his lips together. _I can't die here! I can't die like this! I need air. I don't want to drown. _Wizardmon wanted to take calming breaths, but there was no air to take in. _Okay, okay Wizardmon calm down. Remember what T.K. said. Remember your mantras. Say them in your head. _He could feel his lungs beginning to complain from lack of air. But he kept repeating his mantras in his head, over and over again, until he stopped struggling. MegaSeadramon's tail seemed to tighten around him. _MegaSeadramon…what do I know about them? Well, they're a direct Digivolution from Seadramon…Seadramon like to constrict their prey until they suffocate, but let's not think about that. _Then, something clicked in Wizardmon's head. _But Seadramon always go to the surface to feed! And if this MegaSeadramon is anything like his real Digimon counterparts, maybe this crazy plan will work._

Ikkakumon and Submarimon shouted in surprise as they flew from the water and through the air. They dedigivolved to Gomamon and Armadillomon and landed with a _SPLASH _in the shallows near the house. "It's no use!" Gomamon called. "He's too strong!"

Then, MegaSeadramon rose from the waters, bringing his tail up and laughing evilly. Everyone stared in horror at the sight of MegaSeadramon holding a limp Wizardmon by his ankle. The Majin didn't move, looking very much dead.

"Wizardmon!" Rika screamed.

MegaSeadramon launched another round of lighting attacks from his horn, hitting his opponents and forcing them all to fall into the lake. The Digimon dedigivolved, now completely powerless against the sea serpent Digimon. They watched, horrified, as MegaSeadramon threw Wizardmon into the air and opened his jaws to swallow the Majin whole.

"No!" Gatomon screamed.

When Wizardmon's limp body reached the peak of his ascension, his eyes snapped open and he turned to face MegaSeadramon as he fell. The magic-wielding Digimon gathered his energy, and a Thunder Ball appeared in each palm. He brought the energy spheres together and they began to grow in power and size.

"_Mega Thunder Ball!" _Wizardmon spun and threw the massive storm attack down towards MegaSeadramon. By the time the sea serpent realized what happened, he was already destroyed in a massive blast. Wizardmon continued down to the water, disappearing beneath the waves. Only this time, he didn't have a panic attack like before. He kept his eyes closed upon entry and remained like that for a moment. When he opened his eyes, he still remained calm. But he couldn't tell if it was because of his diminished energy from that last attack or because he didn't feel scared for some reason. Gatomon appeared in his line of sight and he smiled warmly. The two of them returned to the surface, coming eye-to-eye with the others.

"Wizardmon!" Sora beamed. "You're swimming!"

"Or at least treading water." Tai corrected. "That's a start."

"Well why don't we return to the house before we all catch a cold?" Wizardmon suggested casually.

"You don't seem very afraid anymore." Kari noted.

"Believe me, I won't be too keen about jumping into lakes or pools for a while." Wizardmon assured. "But I can count today as a personal victory. I'm not as scared as before."

T.K. smiled and ruffled Wizardmon's already disheveled hair. "Now _that's _the Wizardmon we know. Never giving up."

Wizardmon smiled warmly. "Thank you. All of you. You're true friends. But I have to say, most of you are the worst teachers I've ever met." That last comment caused them all to laugh as they began swimming back to the shoreline.

Rika ran up as Wizardmon stepped onto the sand, trapping him in a tight hug. "You scared me to death! Don't you ever do that to me again, do you hear me? Oh what am I saying? Of course you're going to do that again. Why do I tell you not to when I know you're going to do it anyway? It's an endless cycle and I don't know why—" She blinked in surprise as Wizardmon put a hand over her mouth.

"Imōto-chan." Wizardmon chuckled. "Do me a favor and shut up."

Rika's eye twitched a little, but she suddenly hugged him again. "Is this how you feel when I scare you like that?"

"Yep." Wizardmon nodded. "But it's okay. We'll say we're even."

* * *

><p>"Come on, guys!" Tai laughed, him and the other boys stampeding into the waters.<p>

"Just because school was canceled today doesn't mean we shouldn't be home before dinner!" Kari called after them. "You still need to pack your bag!"

"Don't worry about it!" Tai waved it off.

"You coming, Wizardmon?" T.K. asked, pausing and turning to the Majin.

Wizardmon looked out as some of the boys began another volleyball game and he smiled. "I think I will, yes."

"Seriously, Wizardmon?" Rika raised an eyebrow.

"It's not like I have a bag to pack." Wizardmon shrugged, running inside and coming back out in his swim trunks. He and T.K. quickly joined in the game, splashing and laughing.

"Well he's certainly one of the boys now." Yolei laughed.

"I think it's great!" Mimi said happily. "Wizardmon's lucky; he already looks like a human so he doesn't have to pretend to be a doll. That must be really nice."

"Yeah, I bet Rika never put a bonnet on him and forced him into a baby carriage." Palmon laughed.

Rika smiled warmly, staring at Wizardmon. "It's nice to see such a brighter side of him. He actually looks really happy."

"It's because of you." Sora said. "Wizardmon looks to you like his little sister. Apart from you, I don't think he has any other family."

"Well, for a while neither of us did." Rika said. "It was just me and Wizardmon. But now that we've met you guys, I think we're both learning to be more open. I just hope nothing happens to change that. I don't want to come into conflict with anyone."

"Fights and arguments can't always be avoided." Kari said wisely. "Sometimes you're going to have a disagreement with someone else and it may drive rifts in the team. But you just have to remember that in the end, we're always there for each other."

Rika nodded in understanding. "Absolutely." She looked to Wizardmon again. _I'll always be there for you Wizardmon. Just like how you are always there for me._


	25. If I Only had a Heart

**Episode 32: If I Only had a Heart**

"Wizardmon, do you sense his aura?" Rika asked, leaping from rock to rock and journeying through the desert area with her Digimon. Her small backpack slapped against her back a few times, but she ignored it for now.

"Oh yes, because it's not like he's leaving a trail of destruction and warps of energy wherever he goes." Wizardmon said sarcastically, flying above his human partner.

"Okay, okay." Rika sighed, jumping and flipping to land on another rock. She hardly hesitated as she continued on. "You can be sarcastic later. Even if he is leaving a trail we've been following him for three days and he still hasn't shown up."

Wizardmon blinked. "Speak of the Devimon, he's close!"

"Really?" Rika asked. "Where?"

"Still about half a mile ahead." Wizardmon assured. "But he's finally slowing down a bit."

"Getting tired?" Rika guessed.

"Not by a long shot." Wizardmon said. "If anything, he's just getting restless. He's really determined to find a worthy opponent."

"And the only worthy one will be the one that can give him a good fight." Rika said. "Maybe if we beat him, he'll calm down."

"The only way I'll beat him in battle is if I can digivolve to Mega." Wizardmon said. "I'm still off by one level as Baalmon and even Dynasmon won't work against him."

"We'll worry about your Mega Level another time." Rika determined. "Right now, we have to reach BlackWarGreymon."

"We're almost there." Wizardmon said. "It seems he stopped." In a few minutes, they reached a group of rocks several hundred feet away from where BlackWarGreymon stood. Rika ducked behind a rock and peered out, noticing the herd of Mammothmon standing in the dark Digimon's path; Arukenimon and Mummymon stood up on a high rock behind the elephant Digimon.

"Okay Wizardmon." Rika pulled off her backpack and took out Tai's small telescope and two walkie-talkies. "You go invisible and take one of the walkie-talkies. Then fly over there and see what BlackWarGreymon does. Observe him but keep out of the way of his attacks. See what he does and relay what you find to me. I'll be watching from here."

"Got it." Wizardmon nodded. "Just stay down and out of sight. I know he didn't hurt you when he had the chance before, but that doesn't mean he'll make the same decision now."

"I understand. Now go." Rika said. Wizardmon disappeared, and Rika positioned herself to watch BlackWarGreymon through the telescope. _He had the chance to destroy me when Arukenimon first created him. But all he did was stare at me. I can't get those eyes out of my head. There's something deeper in those eyes. Something that calls out to me. Now I've made the decision to respond, and only time will tell if it was a good idea._

"Do you know how many Control Spires it took to create these Mammothmon?" Mummymon shouted at BlackWarGreymon. He turned to Arukenimon. "How many was it?"

"Two hundred." Arukenimon replied, rubbing a strand of her hair.

"Two hundred!" Mummymon repeated.

BlackWarGreymon hardly cared, his gaze emotionless as it locked on the Mammothmon. "I wonder how powerful they are. Let's find out."

_He's got to be crazy, taking on all those Mammothmon. _Wizardmon thought. _Even a Mega like him can't take them all down._

"What do you think you're doing?" Mummymon demanded. The Mammothmon herd suddenly stampeded, charging right for BlackWarGreymon. The dark Digimon hardly blinked, not moving an inch.

_I know he's technically evil but I feel like I should help him. _Wizardmon thought. _Then again, surely he must have a plan in mind._

"Over here, boys." BlackWarGreymon taunted. The Mammothmon continued their charging, Wizardmon, Mummymon, and Arukenimon watching closely. The giant elephant Digimon finally reached BlackWarGreymon and the Mega Digimon disappeared in a flurry of dust, fur, and trumpet sounds. Wizardmon clearly heard the sound of blades slicing, and the Mammothmon suddenly stopped. Their dust trail settled and revealed a still-standing BlackWarGreymon, looking as though a gentle breeze passed by him.

"I don't believe it!" Mummymon gasped.

"That's impossible!" Arukenimon gasped. "They didn't even make a dent!"

"Not a scratch on him!" Mummymon breathed. Much to their shock and a little horror, a column of four Mammothmon lost their fur and outer shell to reveal their Control Spire cores before disintegrating to nothingness.

"_Did I just see what I just saw?" _Rika's voice came over the radio.

"If you just saw four giant Mammothmon destroyed, then yes." Wizardmon said. "BlackWarGreymon's more powerful than we give him credit for."

"Next?" BlackWarGreymon goaded, turning to his opponents. One of the Mammothmon charged for him, but with a quick swipe of claws destroyed the Control Spire elephant in seconds.

"_This is insane." _Rika breathed. _"He's hardly tired at all!"_

"I'm going to try reading his mind." Wizardmon reported. "Keep your eyes on him." He floated a little closer to the battle, watching BlackWarGreymon fight while also focusing his energy to connect with the dark Digimon's mind.

BlackWarGreymon continued his effortless onslaught on the Mammothmon, destroying them with a slice of his claws or a hard stomp with his foot. _I defeat my opponents so easily. _He thought as he destroyed Mammothmon after Mammothmon. _It's not enough. I still feel an emptiness inside. No matter what I do, nothing seems to fill this void._

"_Emptiness"? A "void"? _Wizardmon thought. _No simple-minded Control Spire Digimon would feel this way. Then again, BlackWarGreymon isn't just a simple Control Spire Digimon._

"_Why do I feel so empty?!" _BlackWarGreymon suddenly shouted to the sky.

Rika gasped softly. "Empty? So BlackWarGreymon has emotions? He can feel things? But those attributes would apply more to a real Digimon instead of a Control Spire Digimon." She stared at BlackWarGreymon. "I wonder…."

"Rika," Wizardmon whispered into his walkie-talkie. "Take a listen to this." He pressed the 'talk' button on his radio and held it up as Arukenimon shouted down to BlackWarGreymon.

"You can't be feeling empty because you _have _no feelings." Arukenimon laughed. "It's just your imagination. I created you from Control Spires. So you're nothing more than my little puppet."

"Oh, I love a good puppet show!" Mummymon said gleefully.

"Silence!" Arukenimon snapped before turning her attention back to BlackWarGreymon. "I wonder why you're experiencing this, these imaginary feelings of yours. It's quite possible that when the Control Spires you were made from fused together, the leftover programs that weren't being used caused this reaction."

"Leftover programs?" BlackWarGreymon repeated, sounding both confused and outraged, even insulted. "How simple it would all be if I were just another one of your Control Spire Digimon. But I'm not." He spun around, creating a small tornado that destroyed more Mammothmon and almost swept away Wizardmon. "I am not a simple creation from one Control Spire. I'm complex, made up of many Spires. _That's _why I suffer! Or is it still my imagination?"

"There is an easy way to end your suffering." Mummymon called.

"How do you propose I do that?" BlackWarGreymon snapped.

"Just simply forget about all this feeling nonsense and follow orders!" Mummymon commanded. "Like you're supposed to do!"

"I will not take orders from those inferior to myself." BlackWarGreymon declared in a low, menacing tone.

Mummymon growled. "Why I oughtta—"

"Stop it!" Arukenimon ordered. "I won't take his feeble bait. Just to prove I'm superior. Go ahead and feel if you want. You're of no more use to me."

"Yeah!" Mummymon called as they disappeared. "Feel to your imaginary heart's discontent!"

"I'm not imagining my turmoil." BlackWarGreymon affirmed, turning to the oncoming Mammothmon. "If what they say is true, then my enemies don't suffer when I destroy them. Tell me something, Mammothmon, are you imagining me?"

"You get all that, Rika?" Wizardmon asked as he watched the battle.

"_Every word. And I officially despise Arukenimon." _Rika said.

"Rika, I need to tell you something." Wizardmon said, his eyes locked on BlackWarGreymon's battle. "I wasn't sure at the time I found out, so I kept it to myself. But now I think you should know: I think BlackWarGreymon's more like a real Digimon than a Control Spire Digimon."

"_What do you mean?" _Rika asked.

"Well when we started tracking him you asked me to follow his aura." Wizardmon explained. "I found something I didn't expect; something within BlackWarGreymon."

"_A Life Flame?"_

"More like the tiny spark of one. It's hard to tell if it's there or not, or even if it's real, but all I know is that BlackWarGreymon is far more advanced than even he knows. Maybe combining so many Control Spires actually gave him true life."

BlackWarGreymon glared at the Mammothmon charging for him, blindly following their creator's orders. "Why? Why won't you answer me?" The Mammothmon that fell screamed as they were destroyed. The Mega Digimon turned as more came at him. But the emptiness remained within him. "You poor, simple-minded creatures." He felt a twinge in his chest, but he couldn't identify the emotion. "How I envy you."

"Call me crazy, but you might have the right idea with trying to befriend this guy." Wizardmon said.

"_When are my ideas never good?" _Rika asked.

"I'm not going to gratify that with a response." Wizardmon sighed. He jumped when yet another Mammothmon disintegrated with a scream. Now, only a single Mammothmon remained.

"How about you? Do you feel any pain?" BlackWarGreymon asked the lone Mammothmon, who reared up with a mighty trumpet and began charging towards his foe. BlackWarGreymon seemed almost bored as he waited for the Mammothmon to come and meet his fate. Then, his eyes traveled downward to a patch of grass in the otherwise rocky ground. A small spot of lavender stood out. "What's this?" He murmured. "A tiny flower?" He continued to stare at the flower, not paying much attention to the charging Mammothmon. "It's right in Mammothmon's path…" For some reason, the tiny lavender flower compelled him to pay attention to it, and he found he couldn't tear his eyes away until he realized Mammothmon was about to smash it under his foot. _"No!" _

Wizardmon gasped when BlackWarGreymon suddenly dived forward, crouching over a small patch of grass. Mammothmon's feet pounded on the Mega Digimon's back, over and over again, but BlackWarGreymon didn't move.

"_Has he lost his mind?" _Rika's voice called from over the radio. _"What the heck is he doing?"_

Wizardmon didn't answer, turning the volume down on the radio until it became mute. He floated quietly over to BlackWarGreymon until he stood only a few feet away. He couldn't really see what BlackWarGreymon guarded so carefully, but it seemed important. He watched, a bit mesmerized, as BlackWarGreymon finally stood up and pushed the Mammothmon off him.

"_Terra Destroyer!" _BlackWarGreymon created a huge sphere of energy and threw it at Mammothmon, obliterating the elephant. "The flower!" He gasped, searching the ground fervently.

_A flower? _Wizardmon looked down at the patch of grass to see a small, lavender flower. _That's what he was so willing to give his life to protect?_

BlackWarGreymon sighed in relief. "Safe." His eyes narrowed in confusion. "But why did I care?"

_That's what I'd like to know as well. _Wizardmon stayed close to BlackWarGreymon, keeping quiet. _Perhaps Rika _does _have the right idea about you._

"What difference does it make if there's one more tiny flower in the world or not?" BlackWarGreymon asked himself. He groaned a little in thought and some frustration, kneeling down to stare at the tiny flower. At the moment, with all these strange feelings in him, the plant seemed to be his best company. Someone he could talk to about his problems. But for a long moment, he didn't speak at all. "You and I are very different. I mean, besides the obvious. You're a little flower and I'm the most powerful Digimon on two worlds. I-I mean, you are alive and I am just artificial. You have real feelings and I can only imagine it." BlackWarGreymon started getting angry again. "Like I imagine this pain in my heart! Why should I care whether a tiny flower lives or dies?" He smashed his foot onto the flower and crushed it into the dirt, his anger and frustration growing. "Who cares? All I want to know is…where is this empty feeling inside of me coming from? If I'm not a true, living creature, why does my heart ache? When the truth….is my heart doesn't even exist."

Wizardmon stared at BlackWarGreymon, contemplating. _I've never seen anything like it. I always think about BlackWarGreymon as this monstrous, evil Digimon. But now he just looks like a lost little kid. Perhaps with the proper guidance he can be helped. _Wizardmon willed himself to become visible again, and he tucked the walkie-talkie into a pocket before calmly walking up to BlackWarGreymon.

The Control Spire Digimon looked up and prepared to fight, glaring at Wizardmon. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Just to talk." Wizardmon said simply. "You look a little lost."

"You don't know anything." BlackWarGreymon snapped. "Who are you?"

"My name is Wizardmon." The Majin tipped his hat in greeting. "I'm the partner to one of the DigiDestined. You know, those kids Arukenimon wants you to destroy."

"Ah yes." BlackWarGreymon nodded. "I remember. But I do not remember seeing you with them."

"That, my friend, is a long story." Wizardmon chuckled.

"'Friend'?" BlackWarGreymon repeated. "I do not understand. You come to me without fear, treat me like I am not the one who attacked those children."

"Well, I am a little upset about that." Wizardmon nodded. "But even though you attacked and defeated them, you refused to kill them. My trainer, the black-haired girl, approached you to fight and you spared her life. Why?"

BlackWarGreymon thought back to that moment, remembering the girl with glasses, raven hair, and a witch's hat, wielding a sword and ready to fight him. "I don't know. I looked into her eyes, and I suppose that's when I hesitated. Something didn't feel right when I thought about attacking her."

Wizardmon nodded in understanding. "Something in your heart told you not to attack. You felt something, maybe for the girl."

BlackWarGreymon's eyes hardened. "That's not possible. I don't have a heart."

"All living creatures have a heart, and have goodness inside them." Wizardmon corrected. "A very good friend taught me that."

"But I'm not a living creature." BlackWarGreymon protested. "I have no heart and therefore I cannot feel."

"I don't think so." Wizardmon shook his head. "You see, I'm a Majin-type Digimon, and I've learned how to sense what's called a Life Flame. They're only found in living creatures such as Digimon."

"So what's your point?" BlackWarGreymon demanded. "That I need a Life Flame to become a real Digimon?"

"That's just it; I think you already have one." Wizardmon explained. "I don't know how or why, but when I look within you I can sense a spark, the smallest spark of a Life Flame. I think it means you've become so complex that you're developing life. You're not like other Control Spire Digimon; you have free will, and the ability to think for yourself."

"But that doesn't mean I have a heart." BlackWarGreymon growled. "This is getting me nowhere. I must find my destiny and unless you can tell me what it is I have nothing more to say. You're a real Digimon, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am." Wizardmon nodded. "I was born from a Digi-Egg, grew up, and digivolved to who you see now."

"Then how could you possibly understand the suffering I go through?" BlackWarGreymon demanded.

"I can't imagine the suffering specifically because I never wondered whether or not I had a heart." Wizardmon replied. "I always knew I had one. But I can imagine the pain it causes you because clearly you are not happy. You're suffering, similarly to how I used to before I met my human partner."

"So…do I need a human partner to end my suffering?" BlackWarGreymon growled again, standing up straight. "You do not offer any enlightenment. I must journey on."

Wizardmon watched BlackWarGreymon step past him. "BlackWarGreymon, I can help you. My partner can help you. If you'll just listen to us."

"Be thankful I spare your life now. Do not test my patience." BlackWarGreymon ordered.

"You call that patience?" Wizardmon scoffed. Then he sighed. "May I make a suggestion? Go that way."

BlackWarGreymon followed the Majin's point. "Why?"

"Trust me, you'll find someone who can help." Wizardmon said. "And remember that my partner and I can help if you wish."

BlackWarGreymon didn't speak. But he seemed to accept Wizardmon's advice and went in the direction he pointed. Wizardmon watched the Control Spire Digimon leave, a part of him wondering if he did the right thing. When BlackWarGreymon disappeared over the horizon, Wizardmon still didn't know what to think. _Perhaps Agumon can help him. After all, he can Digivolve to WarGreymon, so he's like the positive counterpart to BlackWarGreymon. I only hope I didn't do something wrong._

* * *

><p>"He was protecting a <em>flower<em>?" Rika repeated. "Why? I mean, I love protecting nature as much as the next guy, but this just seems too freaky."

Wizardmon sighed. He took another drink of the tea from the thermos Rika carried in her bag. She also carried another thermos of soup the two of them shared. Wizardmon looked to the sky. "It's just so strange. I know he's still a little evil, so I want to be wary of him. But there's something telling me that I need to look closer."

"That's your heart, silly." Rika smiled. "It's the same thing BlackWarGreymon searches for now. I think he'd be a nice friend if he could find his heart."

"Why do you think that?" Wizardmon asked. "What do you see in him?"

"What do I see in him?" Rika repeated with a laugh. "It's not like I want him to be my boyfriend."

"Rika." Wizardmon intoned, giving her a look.

Rika laid on her back and stared at the sky. "I don't know. I guess there's something about him that intrigues me. Under that darkness and armor, I see something good. I see a friend." Her smile shrunk down to nothing, so she stared in contemplation. "I think about it more and more, and I keep wondering if maybe I connect with him because of our individual darkness. I'm the DigiDestined of Darkness. He was created to be evil, and let's face it, he is a little evil. But there's good in him like there's good in me. I feel like I can trust him."

"Tell that to the rest of the DigiDestined." Wizardmon said. "You can't forget, they're not going to just drop everything and trust him. Unless he can prove his goodness and show he wants to be a friend, the DigiDestined are going to attack him if he comes near us." _And so will I._

"You don't know that." Rika said.

"I know at least one person who would: T.K." Wizardmon said. "You may not notice it, but he has his own darkness he has to deal with."

"I noticed." Rika assured. "It's not that bad. Just some negative emotions he has to deal with. Grudges held for far too long. I don't like it."

"Oh?" Wizardmon looked to Rika quizzically.

Rika turned her head to look at Wizardmon. "Even I'm wise enough to know that pride is blinding. Letting your emotions control you leads to all sorts of trouble." Her gaze returned skyward. "It's happened to me before. If T.K. doesn't get a grip he's going to really regret it."

Wizardmon stared at the girl for a while. _I remember Rika's emotions getting the better of her; it used to happen a lot when she was younger. She has a valid point: if T.K. doesn't get a handle on his emotions, he may end up making a terrible mistake. Yet I can't help but think about what Rika said, how T.K. would regret it if he didn't control himself. I feel like Rika would be the one who will dish out the punishment, and the very thought terrifies me. Rika strikes fast and hard, without warning. _He took the thermos of soup and took a swig of the warm liquid, swishing it around in his mouth before swallowing. _Please don't do anything rash, Rika. T.K. isn't the only one that needs to keep control of his emotions._

"Hey Rika! Wizardmon!"

Rika and Wizardmon looked up to see Ken and Wormmon running up to them. They stood as their friends approached. "Hey Ken. Hi Wormmon. What's up?" Rika greeted.

"Apparently the others found Arukenimon." Ken reported. "We're going over there to meet up and help fight. What are you two doing out here?"

"Just taking care of a few things." Rika said simply. "Running an errand or two."

Wizardmon cast a look at his partner. _You know, with all the complaining she does about me keeping secrets, it's hard to believe she doesn't realize how often _she _keeps secrets as well._

"Well you two want to join us?" Wormmon offered. "Let's show that nasty woman what for!"

"Dibs on Bandage Brain." Rika punched her palm.

"Then let's get going." Ken urged as Rika packed her things. "We'll save the Digivolution for when we get closer to preserve the Digimon's energy."

"Sounds good." Rika nodded, and the four of them took off running. "Did anyone mention anything else?"

"Well, Kari did say something about a Knightmon beating on a rock." Ken said.

"Um, okay…." Rika said slowly. "That's…strange….."

"She said Nefertimon called the rock a Destiny Stone." Ken added.

Wizardmon skidded to a halt, causing everyone else to do the same. "Did you say the Destiny Stone?"

"Yeah, why?" Ken asked.

"Ken, why didn't you tell us before?" Wormmon asked worriedly. "The Destiny Stone is an important part of the Digital World. Rumor has it something _really _bad will happen if they are destroyed!"

"'They'?" Rika repeated. "You mean there's more than one?"

"Each and every single one important." Wizardmon said. "We have to get to the others _now_."

"Why didn't this come up during our training? Never mind, we'll worry about it later. Wormmon, you save your energy." Rika ordered. "You need your strength to DNA Digivolve. Wizardmon, time for Dynasmon."

"Just what I was thinking." Wizardmon nodded.

"_Digi-Armor Energize!"_

"_Wizardmon Armor Digivolve to….Dynasmon, the Angel of Darkness!"_

"Hop on everyone!" Dynasmon called, kneeling down so the two children and the green Digimon could climb on his back. "And hang on tight!" He flapped his wings and shot up into the skies, in the direction Ken pointed out.

* * *

><p>Agumon put his paws on his chest, thinking carefully. "Hmm…maybe right here….." He put his claws to his head. "Then again….oh, I'm not sure. I'm sorry I'm not more help to you, but no one's ever asked me before where my heart is."<p>

_That Wizardmon….was he really serious when he said I'd find someone who would help? _BlackWarGreymon thought. _All I found was this Agumon character, and I'm not sure what to make of him. _"Strange. You claim to be alive, yet you don't know where your heart is. Maybe it doesn't really exist. Maybe the heart is just an illusion."

"It's _not _an illusion." Agumon said firmly. "When you really care about someone, more than you care about yourself, it's called love." _Like how I love Tai and Kari and all my friends._ "And I know it comes from the heart. I just don't know where it is!"

"Interesting." BlackWarGreymon mused. "Then let me ask you this: _why _do you have a heart?"

"I don't know why." Agumon said. "I just do, that's all. Humans have them, and so do Digimon."

"But I'm a different kind of Digimon." BlackWarGreymon corrected. "Made from Control Spires. Does that mean I have a heart too? Or was I created without one?"

Agumon scratched his head. "Hmm…..these are all very good questions that I'd love to answer for you. But I'm not very good at this kind of stuff. Could you repeat the question?"

"I'm not sure I remember what I asked anymore." BlackWarGreymon admitted. _This Digimon's simplicity and confusing logic is making me lose my edge. I feel even more lost than I was before._

"Hmm….." Agumon kept his contemplating stare before brightening up. "Then we're both confused. Let's forget the whole thing and grab a bite!"

BlackWarGreymon resisted the urge to groan. "I'm sorry. I need more answers."

"If you insist." Agumon nodded.

"Do you know what the heart is for?" BlackWarGreymon asked, kneeling down to be at Agumon's eye level. "Why do Digimon and humans need it? Why is it so important?"

"Well, that's easy." Agumon said. "The heart is needed to live."

"But you see, I'm not alive." BlackWarGreymon protested. "I'm just…a _thing_. Why would I have any possible use for a heart in the first place?"

"Good point." Agumon nodded. "Hey! You can be a friend!"

_Friend. That's the same word Wizardmon used to me. _"A friend?" BlackWarGreymon repeated, the word sounding very foreign in his mouth.

"Yeah!" Agumon said happily. "You see, if you care about me then we're friends! And if we're friends you have a heart! You can't have one without the other. Look at me; I've got lots of friends!"

"What if I'm not capable of being a friend?" BlackWarGreymon asked. "That _would _prove once and for all if I have a heart or not."

"Of course you're capable!" Agumon insisted. "Everybody's capable of being someone's friend."

"But what if—"

"'What if'. Always with the 'what if's. What if my aunt had a mustache? She'd be my uncle!"

"She would? Your logic confuses me. How is friendship supposed to feel, or does it just happen? At any rate it certainly hasn't made me feel any better."

"That's 'cause we just met. Give it time."

BlackWarGreymon's tone turned angry. "Time? I've given you time to answer all of my questions, and you haven't answered one yet. I should just destroy you and move on. It seems to be my purpose in life. And if that's so, then so be it. I will dedicate myself to being the most powerful." But as he stared at his dagger-like claws, he couldn't help but think back to that tiny flower, the flower he willingly saved without a second thought. He growled in frustration. Mammothmon pounding on his back still hurt even with his armor, yet he endured it for the life of another, even if that life belonged to a tiny flower. "But I have to know if that is my true destiny. Or if there's something more for me in this world than just fighting. You know, like a reason why I'm here. For some it's money, others power, and for you perhaps friendship. But I have to know the reason why I was created."

"Snap out of it!" Agumon urged, overwhelmed by such a feeling he got from listening to BlackWarGreymon talk. "Boy are you a serious guy!"

* * *

><p>At the Destiny Stone, the DigiDestined soon realized Knightmon wasn't alone; Arukenimon and Mummymon ambushed them and the fight tilted out of the kids' favor. Mummymon sent his Snake Bandage attack that wrapped around ExVeemon, pinning his arms and wings to his body and constricting the dragon's throat. Arukenimon did the same with Aquilamon and her strong spider webs. When Gatomon ran to help Arukenimon shot more webs that wrapped around the cat's throat. Knightmon pinned down Pegasusmon with one foot and stabbed relentlessly at Ankylomon with his sword. If Ankylomon didn't have his hard shell, his head would've been chopped off long ago. The kids stood off to one side, watching in horror as their Digimon were beaten ruthlessly. Kari struggled to pull the webs off her partner's throat. Davis shouted encouragingly, but nothing seemed to help.<p>

And, as usual, in times of crisis a hero arrives. Or in this case, four heroes.

"Having a party without me?" Stingmon scoffed. _"Spiking Strike!" _The insect Digimon easily sliced through Mummymon's bandages, freeing ExVeemon.

Arukenimon jumped when a silver blade sliced through her webs, freeing Gatomon and Aquilamon. Rika landed between her friends and the spider woman, holding her sword threateningly. When Arukenimon moved to attack, Dynasmon appeared out of nowhere and kicked her aside.

"Nice timing, Rika!" Kari called.

"Welcome to the party, Dynasmon." Gatomon chimed in.

"Way to go!" Davis cheered.

"It's Ken!" Yolei sighed in relief.

"Sorry I'm late everyone!" Ken called as he ran up.

"We're down to the last of our nine lives!" Gatomon ran to Aquilamon. "Let's do this!"

"_ExVeemon…..Stingmon…DNA Digivolve to….Paildramon!"_

"_Aquilamon…..Gatomon…..DNA Digivolve to…..Silphymon!"_

"Now that's more like it." Rika smiled.

"_Desperado Blaster!" _The blasts bounced off Knightmon's armor, but he still stumbled back and gave Ankylomon the chance to jump on him and pound him into the ground.

"Payback time!" Ankylomon growled. "It's not so much fun when you're on the bottom, huh?" Knightmon suddenly kicked a foot up and sent Ankylomon tumbling into Pegasusmon. Knightmon charged in with his sword, but Dynasmon knocked the blade aside and stole Knightmon's second sword.

"My turn." Dynasmon growled, pushing Knightmon away. While the other Digimon dealt with Arukenimon and Mummymon, Dynasmon engaged in a fierce battle of blades with the Knightmon. Knightmon swung his heavy weapon a little wildly, but Dynasmon still had Baalmon's advantage of speed, grace, and skill. Not to mention Knightmon's own blade that could easily counter the one he currently used. Knightmon seemed to get angrier and angrier with every miss, but Dynasmon used this to his advantage. His gun blasts didn't leave a dent, but he still possessed skills Rika taught him. _Think about how to get him off-balance. _Dynasmon thought, ducking to avoid the broadsword again. _You know, without breaking my shin on that armor of his. _Something clicked in Dynasmon's head, and he jumped up into the air and aimed a strong kick to the knight Digimon's collarbone. Knightmon stumbled backwards, severely off-balance, while Dynasmon hovered in the air.

"Paildramon! Silphymon!" Dynasmon ordered. "Go!"

"_Desperado Blaster!"_

"_Static Force!"_

The two blasts bounced right off Knightmon as he charged for them. He swung his large sword around, but the three Digimon leaped away just in time. Unfortunately, Knightmon continued his swing and stabbed right through the golden ring on the Destiny Stone.

"He's breaking the Destiny Stone!" Mummymon gasped in delight. Everyone stared in shock as the Destiny Stone began pulsing with a red glow that made most of them nervous. _I _definitely _don't feel regenerated from darkness. All I feel is _a lot _of power radiating from that rock. _Rika thought fearfully. _These Destiny Stones, whatever they are, must hold a lot of power and importance to the Digital World._

"What happened?" Davis asked worriedly.

"There's something wrong with the Destiny Stone!" Paildramon realized. Then the DigiDestined seemed to realize Knightmon still attacked the stone, and now Arukenimon and Mummymon joined in the onslaught. Rika rushed in with her sword, swinging it around to Knightmon's neck. But the armored Control Spire Digimon swung his blade around and Rika was forced to use her own as a shield to block the attack. The force from the blow sent her tumbling to the ground and Knightmon continued his slicing on the stone.

Arukenimon growled in frustration at the lack of destruction. "His attacks just aren't doing a thing! Mummymon! We need to come up with a new plan of action!"

"Really?" Mummymon asked sarcastically, still blasting the rock. "Uselessly pounding away on this rock isn't a good plan?"

Arukenimon started to snap at him, but she turned at what sounded like a gunshot and saw a dark cloud coming their way. "It's BlackWarGreymon!"

Rika sat up from where she fell and looked towards the cloud. _BlackWarGreymon? What's he doing now?_

Suddenly, Arukenimon and Mummymon took off as fast as their legs could carry them. "They sure seem to be in a hurry." Yolei noted.

"How come?" Davis asked.

"They must realize it's useless to fight us!" Yolei grinned confidently.

Ken finally noticed the black cloud and gasped. "Tell him!"

Everyone except Knightmon turned as BlackWarGreymon shot from the dark cloud and flew straight towards them. Knightmon finally seemed to notice when the dark Digimon snarled like an animal, and the knight Digimon turned to face BlackWarGreymon. But the black Digimon just smashed into Knightmon and forced the Control Spire to dissolve to nothing.

The DigiDestined gasped in shock and awe. "Oh no!" Davis cried.

"Do you think he's on our side?" Yolei asked hopefully.

BlackWarGreymon approached the damaged Destiny Stone, staring at it for a long, tense moment. _"Terra Destroyer!" _The dark Digimon created a large sphere of energy and smashed it against the Destiny Stone, cracking it even further.

"The Destiny stone!" Aquilamon's voice shouted from Silphymon.

"He'll destroy it!" Paildramon gasped.

"Not while we're here!" Dynasmon assured as the Digimon ran towards BlackWarGreymon. But the dark Digimon turned to them and threw another Terra Destroyer, not strong enough to destroy the Digimon but plenty enough to make them dedigivolve to their In-Training or Rookie forms.

"He crushed them!" Davis gasped.

"We're just no match for him." Ken breathed.

Yolei ran towards her fallen Digimon, but she looked up as BlackWarGreymon turned to the Destiny Stone once more. "Don't do it, BlackWarGreymon!"

"Please stop!" Rika, a faster sprinter than the others, hurried to BlackWarGreymon and took his claws in her hands. "You don't know what you're doing!"

BlackWarGreymon stared at each girl in turn, as though considering his options. But ultimately, he decided to not heed the girls' words; he raised his claws up and threw another Terra Destroyer, creating a crater in the Destiny Stone. Rika flinched and covered her face, but jumped between BlackWarGreymon and the Destiny Stone.

"Rika! Get out of there!" T.K. shouted.

"You have to stop! Listen to us!" Rika ordered of BlackWarGreymon.

"Get out of my way, girl." BlackWarGreymon ordered. When she didn't, he picked her up and tossed her aside before throwing one last large Terra Destroyer blast that made the Destiny Stone shatter like glass. The shockwave and blast itself looked terrifying, but what really scared the DigiDestined was the large tornado of wind, sand, and rocks that stretched all the way to the clouds above. The winds blew hard and fast, almost pushing the kids to the ground.

"We're gonna get sucked in!" Ken cried.

"Run everyone!" T.K. called. "Before it's too late!"

"Grab a Digimon and let's go!" Rika scooped up Impmon while the others grabbed their respective Digimon and hightailed it away from the tornado. Rika looked back just once before joining them. But when she looked back, she stared at BlackWarGreymon, and the dark Digimon stayed on her mind.

_Yet again, he had the chance to destroy me but didn't. Why? He could've just destroyed me with the Destiny Stone and be done with it. Instead, he chooses to push me aside, I guess push me to safety, before carrying out his destruction. What does he see in me? Why does he speak to me like I'm a nuisance yet takes the time to ensure my safety? What does this mean? Am I right? Is there really more to BlackWarGreymon than we know? Could he be our friend?_

_Could he be _my _friend?_


	26. A Chance Encounter

**A/N: Wow. School really got busy for me. So sorry guys! I'm working hard to finish this story and my Smurfs 2 story. Enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Episode 33: A Chance Encounter<strong>

_Dear Poromon and Izzy,_

_How's it going, guys? This is the second day of our school trip and we're finally in Kyoto! I'm having a great time with my friends! What a cool place! And the food is fab. Poromon, if you're good I'll bring you a souvenir. Ciao for now!_

_Yolei_

Yolei put her D-terminal away and resumed eating her food. She meant every word; Kyoto was such an amazing place. Their teacher let them run loose after they agreed to meet back at the designated spot in two hours. That was half an hour ago, and Yolei and her two friends decided to have an early dinner before doing some shopping and sightseeing. She wished Poromon joined them, but Yolei figured it would be a lot less stressful if she didn't need to worry about hiding the fact Poromon was alive and not a toy. Most of the DigiDestined were in the Digital World, tracking BlackWarGreymon and discovering more Destiny Stones. According to Wizardmon, there were seven Destiny Stones that kept the DigiWorld in balance, scattered far and wide. The DigiDestined had the ability of opening a Digi-port to pretty much anywhere as long as there was a TV or computer to come out; but that didn't help if they didn't know where to find the Destiny Stones. Wizardmon didn't know either.

But Yolei didn't want to think about that. She wanted a break from DigiDestined stuff. Besides, her stomach kept begging for more of her ramen and her friends wanted to talk to her. Kyoto was calling, and Yolei gladly answered.

* * *

><p>People lined up in front of one of the many temples in Kyoto, performing the usual ritual of tossing in coins, clapping, and bowing to the holy shrine. Rika and Wizardmon stood on the steps, patiently waiting their turn. Wizardmon, dressed in his human clothes, came up first with a five hundred yen coin in his palm. He approached the shrine and tossed it into the offering box, clapping and bowing as many others did before him. He sent up a prayer, his eyes closed. Then he rose and opened his eyes, staring at the ornately decorated shrine. He smiled softly before turning and joining Rika.<p>

The raven-haired approached the shrine and performed the same actions as Wizardmon. But when she tried to send a prayer, a voice echoed in her head.

_You think yourself worthy of coming here, Child of Darkness?_

_And who do you think you are? _Rika thought. She opened her eyes and looked up, but suddenly gasped when she discovered the shrine turned completely black. A thick fog appeared behind her, leaving her completely alone.

_You are the Child of Darkness. _The voice continued. _You have no right to come to such a holy place. Places like these bring enlightenment and happiness. You bring darkness and pain._

_No I don't. _Rika tried to convince herself along with the voice. _Just because I'm the DigiDestined of Darkness doesn't make me evil!_

_Oh really? _The voice laughed cruelly. _You think yourself pure of evil and dark thoughts? Think about it. Your "friends" don't agree with you about anything, do they? They think differently from you. They stand for things that are the opposite of darkness. They fear and want to fight the powers of darkness. Sooner or later, they will become your enemies, and you will have to fight them._

_I don't believe it! _Rika mentally screamed, squeezing her eyes shut. _Who are you? Why are you coming to me now of all times?_

The voice laughed again. _I have watched you for years. For you see, _I _am the one that controls your precious Wizardmon._

_You? You cause him pain when he tries to reveal your identity?_

_Well, I certainly can't let him tell everyone about me. I want it to be quite a surprise when I make my return. Until then, I will make sure that pathetic excuse for a Digimon never reveals me. If that means choking him to death, so be it._

Rika's fists clenched. _Why you little—_

"Miss?"

Rika's eyes snapped open and she found herself back in front of the shrine, the light finally returned to reveal a still-crowded Kyoto.

An elderly woman stood beside Rika, looking concerned. "Are you all right?"

Rika looked back to the shrine, a cold feeling still in the air. "Yes. I'm fine." She turned and returned to Wizardmon, briskly walking past him and forcing the Digimon to jog to keep up.

_What happened to her? _Wizardmon wondered. _Times like this make me wish our minds were still connected. She hates it when I read her thoughts, so I no longer have any idea what she's thinking, and that scares me a little. _He cast a stare towards Rika, who kept her gaze forward. _Rika. I wish you would trust me more. I'm here for you; always._

* * *

><p>"I told my whole family I would bring them back souvenirs." Yolei said, entering a nearby store with her friends. In a few minutes, she grabbed something for each of her family members and the girls exited.<p>

"That was fast." One of her friend noted.

"Okay, now we can see the sights!" Yolei suggested.

"Hey Yolei!"

Yolei and her friends turned and the purple-haired girl smiled broadly. "Rika! Wiz—uh, Ukito! What's up?"

The raven-haired girl and her disguised Digimon/brother approached with twin smiles. "Hello Yolei." Wizardmon greeted. "How are you?"

"Great." Yolei greeted. "What are you guys doing here?"

"It's Rika's birthday." Wizardmon said. "We thought we'd come to Kyoto to celebrate."

"Oh, well happy birthday!" Yolei told her DigiDestined friend.

"Thanks." Rika's smile grew. "Twelve years old, as of today!"

Yolei giggled at the girl's enthusiasm. "These are a couple of my friends from school. Guys, this is Rika and her brother Ukito."

"I don't remember seeing you guys around school." One of Yolei's friend noted.

"We're home schooled." Wizardmon explained. Yolei's friends nodded in understanding.

"Hey, you wanna join us?" Yolei offered. "We're going to see the sights."

"Sounds good to me." Rika nodded. "Let's go." They resumed their walking down the path, Yolei and Rika stifling giggles when Yolei's school friends seemed to swoon over the disguised Wizardmon.

"So, do you have a girlfriend?" one of her friends asked.

"He must; no way does a cute guy like this get off without one." The other friend scoffed.

Wizardmon seemed confused and a little embarrassed. "Uh, girlfriend?"

"You know, are you in a relationship?" the first friend asked.

"Only with his job." Yolei whispered to Rika.

"I heard that." Wizardmon snapped.

"Sorry girls, my brother's already taken." Rika turned and walked backwards to face her brother and the girls. "He says he's hopelessly in love with this girl he met a while back."

"I am not!" Wizardmon protested.

"Aw man." The second friend groaned. "Who is she?"

"Her name's Gato Monomiya." Rika said, fighting to not laugh. "But I think he likes to call her Gatomon."

Wizardmon's face, at least what wasn't being covered by the bandana, turned a deep shade of red. "Gatomon?" the first friend said. "Wow, sounds foreign."

"Maybe she's from another country." The second friend suggested.

"I'm not hopelessly in love with Gatomon!" Wizardmon snapped.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that while you dream about her." Rika laughed.

Wizardmon suddenly shot forward and put his gloved hands around her mouth, laughing nervously. "My sister. A real jokester." He cast Rika an irritated glare. "A real, soon-to-be-dead jokester."

Yolei and her friends laughed at the blonde's expense, but then Yolei gasped in shock. Rika and Wizardmon followed her gaze and their expressions morphed to match Yolei's.

"Tell me I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing." Yolei groaned.

"Unless you see a sort of swirling vortex in the sky, I can't tell you otherwise." Rika said.

"There are Digimon coming through!" Wizardmon suddenly took off, Yolei and Rika close behind. Yolei's friends called after her, but Yolei told them she'd catch up later before disappearing around the corner with Rika and Wizardmon.

"Look!" Rika pointed to a shape in the sky. Although pure black like a shadow, the form flickered briefly to reveal a familiar Control Spire Digimon.

_Not him! _Yolei mentally cried. _Not BlackWarGreymon! Why here? How did he get to the human world? _The two girls and the Digimon continued to run down the street but suddenly skidded a halt when a shadowy, hulking figure appeared from an alleyway. "I was right! It's BlackWarGreymon!"

"And it looks like he brought friends!" Rika pointed to the group of shadowy, unidentifiable figures following BlackWarGreymon. Though unable to name them, the girls could tell they were Digimon.

"Oh this is bad!" Wizardmon groaned. "We have to get these guys out before there's a riot."

"I don't think that's going to be a problem." Rika said. The three of them looked around to see everyone minding their own business, as though not even noticing the hulking, shadowy creatures walking down the street.

"Why is everybody standing around like nothing's happening?" Yolei asked. "What's wrong with you people?"

"They may not see the Digimon but the presence of those creatures will cause plenty of technological weirdness." Rika said. "We have to follow them and make sure they don't cause trouble." The three of them took off again, trailing after the small pack of Digimon. Just as Rika predicted, traffic lights began blinking wildly and several people began to complain about their cell phones not working. _They must not fully be here. _Rika guessed. _Wizardmon's a Digimon but his presence doesn't affect tech stuff like this. Maybe the warps from destroying the Destiny Stone caused this. _She, Yolei, and Wizardmon continued to sprint after the shadowy Digimon, keeping them in their sights at all times.

"Wait!" Yolei shouted.

"Yolei, what are you doing?" Rika snapped.

Yolei ignored her. "Stop you…uh, Digimon?"

The shadowy creature at the end of the procession turned to face his pursuers. The three of them panted heavily, stopping several feet away from the shadow. Then, the blackness seemed to melt away until a large yellow ape stood before them, a ginormous bone on his back. He advanced towards the DigiDestined, growling fiercely.

"I am Apemon!" the Digimon introduced in that same growling tone. "I swing into action and use my Mega Bone Stick attack to demolish my enemies!"

"Wizardmon, I think that's your cue." Rika said.

"Right." Wizardmon nodded. He reached under his bandana and Yolei noticed a necklace resting around the Digimon's neck: a thin piece of brown rope and a sun charm that looked a lot like the ornament on his staff. Wizardmon tapped the sun charm and the necklace began to glow brightly, growing and changing shape until it became his main weapon. Grabbing the wand, Wizardmon aimed to attack Apemon when the large yellow Digimon suddenly leaped away.

"I've got to let the others know what's going on!" Yolei said, scrambling to get her D-terminal out.

"I'll take care of Monkey Boy here." Wizardmon shot up into the sky, spinning his staff skillfully.

"Come on, Yolei!" Rika called. "We have to keep up with BlackWarGreymon!" The girls took off.

"_Magical Game!" _The blue lightning connected with Apemon's bone weapon, not wounding him but certainly catching his attention. The ape turned and swung the large bone on his back, hitting Wizardmon like a homerun baseball into the side of a building. The Majin quickly resumed his flight after Apemon, but the yellow furred Digimon already bounded away. Apemon leaped off the building, and Wizardmon heard the sound of something smashing to pieces and a woman's terrified scream. _Oh that can't be good. _Wizardmon soon realized just how true he was when he saw Apemon advancing on a tall young man with black hair and rectangular glasses. _Hmm…..he looks familiar. But I'll worry about him later._

"Oh good, there he is." Yolei said. "Only, now what are we supposed to do?"

"Leave it to Wizardmon." Rika assured.

"Uh…..good dog?" the man gulped as Apemon raised his weapon. Wizardmon suddenly shot down, planting his sneaker into Apemon's head. But the larger Digimon suddenly grabbed Wizardmon's ankle and threw him into the young man before him, sending both of them tumbling to the concrete.

"Look out!" Rika cried.

Then, a bright column of golden light erupted from the trees, and when it died down Stingmon buzzed down towards the fight, Ken in one arm and Poromon in the other. The three of them disappeared from view, but not seconds later Stingmon shot from the golden and orange leaves of the trees and dived towards Apemon. He skillfully blocked an attack from the ape Digimon and the two of them separated to land on roofs of the houses nearby. Rika, Yolei, and Wizardmon ran over to watch.

"Stingmon!" Yolei called.

"Yolei!"

"Ken?" Yolei gasped as the raven-haired boy ran up to her. "I don't get it." She jumped a little when Poromon leaped into her arms.

"Ken, what's going on?" Rika asked. "What are you guys doing here?"

"I'll explain everything to you later." Ken assured. He turned to his Digimon. "Stingmon! Remember, he's not a Control Spire Digimon, so you can't destroy him."

"Don't worry, Ken." Stingmon assured. Apemon leaped towards Stingmon, but the insect Digimon flew up higher and slammed a fist into the ape's back, sending him shooting to the ground and smashing into the concrete. Wasting no time, Stingmon flew down and restrained Apemon. "Ken! I got him!"

"All right, Yolei and Rika." Ken said. "The rest is up to you now."

"What're you talking about? Come back!" Yolei cried. But Ken already jumped up onto Stingmon's back and they took off, disappearing where they came.

"Well that was random." Rika noted.

"How did Ken get here so fast?" Wizardmon asked, turning his staff back into its necklace form. "I mean, Yolei sent that email only minutes ago."

"Yolei! I'm ready for action!" Poromon chirped. "What should we do first?"

"Hey, I thought I left you with Izzy." Yolei seemed to just realize her Digimon rested in her arms. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story." Poromon said.

"I found her! She's over here, Professor."

The girls and their Digimon looked up to see the young man from before, accompanied by an older gentleman. "Excuse me, miss." The older man asked. "Are you the girl who called out 'Digimon' before?"

"Nice going, Yolei." Rika hissed.

"Uh, maybe." Yolei answered the man a little lamely.

"I have one more question to ask." The man said.

"Uh, what is it?" Yolei asked.

"That's a Digimon you're holding, isn't it?" the man guessed. "And that boy there was wielding a staff and fighting that yellow ape before. He's a Digimon too, isn't he?"

"Oh boy." Yolei sighed. _How are we going to talk ourselves out of this one?_

Wizardmon stepped in front of the girls. "What's it to you? What is your interest in Digimon?"

"Purely academic and out of admiration and fascination." The older man said. "Come on; we should talk for a while."

"How do you know about Digimon?" Rika asked.

"If you're willing to come with us, we'll tell you." The younger man said. "But I'm afraid there's about to be too much activity around here concerning that monstrous ape."

Rika narrowed her eyes. She looked to Wizardmon, Yolei, and Poromon. "What do you guys think?"

"Let's go with them." Wizardmon decided. "If they threaten us, we'll find out how they like a Thunder Ball."

Ten minutes later, the six of them piled into the younger man's yellow Volkswagen beetle: the younger man driving, Wizardmon in the shotgun seat, and the older man, Rika, and Yolei in the back with Poromon in his trainer's arms.

"Who _are _you guys?" Yolei asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the older man said sheepishly. "I'm Professor Takenouchi. I teach folklore at the university in Tokyo, but I've been spending the last year doing research right here in Kyoto. And this is—"

"My name's Jim, Joe's brother." The younger man introduced. "I'm one of the professor's students. I was pre-med and had to study everything from brain surgery to head pains, and then I took one class from the professor here. I changed my major to ghosts and goblins. My kid brother still wants to be a doctor, though."

"How nice." Yolei said, a little awkwardly. "I'm Yolei Inoue and I'm in eighth grade."

"I'm Rika." Rika introduced. "That's Wizardmon."

"Pleasure." Wizardmon nodded.

"We live in Tokyo too." Yolei said. "But I'm not sure what we're doing here."

"I knew it!" Jim said. "My little brother told me all about you!" Yolei's face showed clear confusion, much to Rika's amusement.

Professor Takenouchi chuckled. "Yep! And I've heard a lot of good things about you from my daughter as well."

Suddenly it clicked in Yolei's head. "And uh…I guess that means that…you're referring to Joe Kido and Sora Takenouchi?"

"Bull's eye!" Professor Takenouchi said.

Yolei made another confused face, shocked that she actually sat in a car with the brother and father of two of the DigiDestined. Rika, however, broke into smiles. "Hey I know those guys! They're really nice!"

"I think I remember Joe." Wizardmon confirmed. "I was wondering why you looked so familiar, Jim."

"I think I remember Joe talking about you too." Jim said. "Something about how you saved someone's life and my little brother had to fish you out of the harbor, not necessarily in that order of course."

"Strange that he remembers me like that but I'll go with it." Wizardmon shrugged. "Though I'm not usually dressed this way; this is just so I can pass off as a human."

"Could've fooled us." Jim laughed.

"But I don't understand." Rika said. "You two study folklore and mythology, yet you sound like you're really familiar with Digimon. After all, you're not freaking out by Wizardmon and Poromon."

"I've studied legends all over the world." Professor Takenouchi explained. "Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, the Bermuda Triangle; you should see my frequent flier miles. Anyway, I don't spend much time at home. I guess that's what caused Sora to be so angry. Then four years ago she suddenly changed to a whole new person. She and her mother became best friends, and I thought maybe she had a boyfriend or was going through one of those teenage things. But she simply said she owed it all to her friends, the Digimon."

"Her friends the Digimon?" Yolei repeated.

"She must've meant Biyomon and all her other friends from the Digital World." Rika guessed.

"That's right." Professor Takenouchi said. "Her adventures with them forced her to grow up and change her outlook on everything. Especially the stormy relationship with her mother. You should see them now: shopping every Saturday. My credit card's at the limit!" He chuckled, then went a little serious. "So thanks to the Digimon, our family is a lot closer now. Even though I'm still never around."

"You're welcome." Poromon said, blushing.

"That's a beautiful story." Yolei said, still feeling a little awkward. "Thanks for sharing."

"Yolei, stop it." Rika nudged her friend with her elbow. "I would think that for almost all of the DigiDestined having a Digimon partner changed them for the better. I always like to say that the DigiDestined are more than a group of kids and Digimon partners; we're a family. Look at me and Wizardmon: he's not just my partner, he was accepted into my family and became my brother. You love Poromon the same way, don't you?"

Yolei looked down at Poromon and smiled. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

"I'm glad I'm getting to see a Digimon on a friendly basis." Jim said. "I've had a run-in with them before, you know. When everything happened four years ago, I was right in the middle of the battle. Actually, my brother Joe was a little more involved. I was sort of helping out from the sidelines. It's not that I couldn't have helped him fight, it's just that I wanted to give the kid a chance to learn on his own."

"I'll have you know I was there too." Wizardmon said. "And you did what pretty much the rest of Odaiba and maybe the world did: stood there and watched in awe. That's pretty much _all _you could do."

Everyone else laughed, but Jim just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

"I still don't get it." Yolei said. "Of all the cities they could've picked, why did the Digimon start showing up here in Kyoto?"

"Ever since Kyoto became the capital, residents here feel the city has developed a very strong connection with animal spirits." Professor Takenouchi explained.

"What?" Yolei asked.

"That's right." The professor continued. "Different animals like raccoons and foxes. One reason I'm here in Kyoto is to determine if these doors are based on fact. Kyoto was chosen to be the capital partly because the four gods were in harmony surrounding the city. Have you heard that story?"

"I'm not sure." Yolei said.

"I remember it." Rika said. "My grandfather used to tell me this story a lot: about the phoenix, the dragon, the turtle, and the tiger, right?"

"Correct." Professor Takenouchi nodded. "It's quite interesting. You see the mountains to the north are for Genbu the Turtle; the river to the east is for Seiryū the Dragon; the lake to the south is for Suzaku the Phoenix; and the road to the west is for Byakko the Tiger. So the city was protected by the mountains, had the convenience of a river and roads nearby and was open to the west. A perfect scenario."

"Cool." Yolei breathed.

"There's also the spirit gate." The professor added. "And the fact that there were many temples built in all four directions. They believe that without those temples it would be too easy for the magical creatures to get in."

Yolei suddenly became nervous. "Spirits? Creatures?"

"Professor!" Jim seemed to scold.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the professor laughed. "I didn't mean to scare you. Sometimes I get a little wrapped up in my own stories. The city has changed a lot since those days. What I'm trying to say is that Kyoto is close to the spirit world; in other words, any world other than our own."

"Like the…Digital World?" Yolei suggested.

"I have a theory that those Digimon you saw running around found it easier to travel through the warp from the Digital World to Kyoto rather than trying to go to Tokyo." Professor Takenouchi proposed.

"Wait a minute." Yolei laughed lightly in disbelief. "Are you trying to tell me that Digimon are some sort of magical creatures?"

"Well aren't they?" the professor said. Yolei paused, thinking about it.

"If you think about it, they're not really of our world." Rika reasoned. "They're like the things you see in dreams or in some cases nightmares."

"It's not like they're just a collection of data." Professor Takenouchi added. "I believe Digimon are actual legends that people have spoken of for hundreds of years. And, over time, have gained a level of consciousness and become a reality. I think that Digimon may have started as data in some old computer but have since come alive. Just like those old legends. Do you agree with my theory?"

Yolei and Poromon shared a look. So did Rika and Wizardmon. It sounded logical enough. After all, Yolei and the other DigiDestined always told themselves that they could never kill Digimon because they were living creatures. Rika spent her years in the Digital World protecting them and pretty much living among them. Digimon were not just bits of data compiled into a sort of avatar. They live, breathe, feel, bleed, and die. Perhaps their way of living differs from the humans', but they still lived.

Suddenly, Yolei gasped. "Hey, stop the car!" Jim slammed on the brakes, sending most of them flying forward before their seatbelts forced them back. Very close ahead, the train of Digimon continued casually down the road. Yolei told Jim to roll down the window so she could look and make sure. "There they are!" Then, one of the shadows broke from the group and materialized into a samurai-like Digimon that leaped up to stand on the bridge above them, holding his sword ready.

"Yolei, I think you need to stop shouting at those guys." Wizardmon said as he jumped out of the car.

"What's that?" Jim gasped.

"That's Musyamon, a warrior Digimon who can take different shapes!" Poromon said. "I've seen him use his Shogun Sword attack to make mincemeat out of his enemies! Should I?"

"Go for it!" Yolei nodded.

"_Poromon digivolve to….Hawkmon!"_

Hawkmon flew from the car and he and Wizardmon shot up towards Musyamon. "You can do it, Hawkmon!" Yolei called.

"Go Wizardmon!" Rika chimed in.

"Do you think Hawkmon and Wizardmon would let me interview them?" the professor asked.

"_Feather Strike!"_

"_Magical Game!"_

Though both attacks would've hit their mark, Musyamon simply used his sword to block them.

"Hawkmon! Armor Digivolve!" Yolei called, holding up her D3.

"Glad to!" Hawkmon nodded.

"Wizardmon! We'll need Baalmon for this one!" Rika called.

"Ready when you are!" Wizardmon confirmed.

"_Digi-Armor Energize!"_

"_Hawkmon Armor Digivolve to…Shurimon, the Samurai of Sincerity."_

"_Wizardmon Digivolve to….Baalmon!"_

Both Digivolved Digimon crashed into Musyamon, and the fierce battle began.

"Professor, do you suggest I start taking notes about what I'm seeing?" Jim asked in awe.

"Never mind the notes!" Professor Takenouchi said. "Drive the car!" The four humans piled into the car and Jim took off, speeding after the Digimon.

Musyamon's skill lived up to his title as a warrior Digimon, but Shurimon was name a "Samurai" of Sincerity for a reason. That made the two of them evenly matched. Baalmon's ninja-like skills tipped the scales as the three of them clashed together and sprinted nimbly across rooftops. Every time Musyamon swung his sword it would hit either Baalmon's blade or Shurimon's shuriken, sending sparks and a loud _CLANG._

"_Shogun Sword!" _Musyamon raised his sword high, ready to slice into Shurimon.

"_Double Star!" _Shurimon moved faster, Baalmon shooting at Musyamon to distract him while Shurimon threw the giant shuriken on his back. The two DigiDestined Digimon leaped high into the air and slammed into Musyamon, sending all three of them into a small rice paddy. Yolei, Rika, Jim, and Professor Takenouchi appeared on the banks, Jim carrying a laptop computer and Yolei opening a Digi-port with her D3.

"Shurimon! The port is open!" Yolei called. Shurimon and Baalmon shot from the depths, carrying Musyamon with them with a mighty heave, they threw Musyamon into the portal and the samurai Digimon disappeared. "Jim, close it!" Yolei ordered, and Jim quickly obeyed.

"He's vanished." Jim breathed.

"No Jim, he didn't vanish." The professor corrected. "He returned to the Digital World where he belongs."

Yolei sighed in relief. "Good riddance." Rika sighed. Shurimon dedigivolved down to Hawkmon, then to Poromon; Baalmon dedigivolved to Wizardmon, who morphed his clothes back to his human wear.

"You did a good job!" Yolei complimented her Digimon as he flew into her arms. "But we have to figure out a way to stop BlackWarGreymon."

"Look, Yolei!" Poromon pointed to the shadowy Digimon. "Something's happening to them!" They watched, blinking in surprise, as the shadowy figures seemed to flicker and then disappeared completely. The warp twister in the sky also retreated and vanished.

"They're all returning to the Digital World." Jim guessed.

"It's not like they have anywhere else to go." Rika noted. "Let's hope no more Digimon find their way through."

"Yeah but I've got a question." Yolei said. "Why did they come here to the Real World? I don't get it."

"It may not make sense to us, but there must've been a reason." Professor Takenouchi said.

_That was really strange. _Yolei thought. _I was able to open the Digi-port and send Musyamon back to the Digital World. But Tai and the others weren't able to do it._

_How is it the Digimon could find their way through these gates now and not before? _Wizardmon wondered. _Could it be that destroying the Destiny Stones opens up these gates? If more Digimon discover them, we could be dealing with a lot more rogue Digital Monsters like those in the near future. I know we'll be able to handle them, but we can't let this happen._

"Yolei, Rika!" Jim called. "We better hurry up and get you back to your class. After all, you don't want to miss the rest of your school trip, do you?"

Yolei gasped when she checked the time. "Oh! I almost forgot about that!"

"We better head back too, if we could get a ride." Rika said. "Wizardmon and I need to catch a train."

* * *

><p>Yolei held Poromon close as she, Rika, and Wizardmon hurried over to Yolei's class. "Yolei!" one of her friends called. "Where have you been?"<p>

"I had to take care of a couple of small things." Yolei said.

"It's our fault, really." Wizardmon told the teacher. "My sister and I ran into Yolei and we took her to see the sights. Sorry for keeping her out so late."

"Not a problem." The teacher assured. "As long as she wasn't alone."

"Hey look! What's that?" her second friend asked, looking to Poromon.

Yolei, realizing she forgot about her Digimon, tried to play it cool as she patted Poromon a little hard on the head. "Just a souvenir, a very quiet souvenir."

"It's so cute!" the second friend said. The two girls took Poromon from Yolei's arms, cuddling and pulling on him a little as they argued over him.

Yolei mentally groaned. _Sorry about that, Poromon._

"Oh how I _don't _envy him." Wizardmon whispered, causing Rika to giggle.


	27. Destiny in Doubt

**Episode 34: Destiny in Doubt**

"Yum!" DemiVeemon cheered, munching on some mochi Yolei brought back from Kyoto. Upamon and Poromon agreed, gobbling up the treats.

"Try one, Wizardmon!" Poromon said.

"Okay, okay." Wizardmon picked up one of the mochi balls and popped it in his mouth. He chewed, then smiled. "Not bad. Reminds me of the kind Rika's mother used to make."

"Hey!" Davis whined. "That's not fair! Save one for me!"

"Just one!" DemiVeemon, Poromon, and Upamon said.

"Here, Davis." Wizardmon took another mochi. "Open wide." Davis opened, dropping his jaw as far as it would go. Wizardmon tossed the rice dough treat into the air. "Mochi ball, twelve o'clock!" When the food fell in the perfect spot, Wizardmon thrust his palm forward and perfectly hit the food across the room and into Davis's mouth. He smiled, giving Wizardmon a thumbs-up.

"I never thought I'd see BlackWarGreymon in Kyoto." Yolei said, speaking to the other DigiDestined. "That wasn't in the travel brochure."

"I don't understand why he showed up there." Cody said.

"Well Sora's father said that Kyoto is at a kind of crossroads where the spiritual world and our world sometimes cross over each other." Yolei explained. "That's why they built all those temples there. To protect this world from other worldly creatures. And they say that every Halloween night you can see twisted ghostly figures wandering the streets of Kyoto."

"I've seen scarier stuff on a daily basis." Rika laughed.

"Those stories don't scare me." Cody said, though his voice wavered a little. "Though they would be something to consider if they're true. Are they?" Yolei only giggled.

"But if a Digimon appeared in the real world, that's not just a child's story." T.K. said. "That means the Digital World's plane is really off-kilter."

"Yeah." Kari agreed.

"But wait, if the Digital World's plane is off-kilter why is it affecting our world?" Yolei asked.

"It's like this." Kari turned to the computer, where she pulled up a program and drew a red line on the screen. "Imagine this is the Digital World." She drew a yellow line underneath the red one. "And this line is our world, the Real World. Normally they're kept separately, but if the plane gets off-kilter, they start mixing together and nothing's normal." She pressed a button on the keyboard and the two lines swirled together.

"Thanks, even _I _understand now." Davis said.

"Thank Gatomon and Wizardmon." Kari said. "They explained it." Kari's voice went serious. "And that Dark Ocean is another world too." She drew a blue line under the yellow line.

"That's not all." T.K. said, surprising the others. "I'd be willing to bet that there's a whole bunch of other worlds out there as well. Like this." He took the mouse and drew several more lines in different colors around the ones Kari made.

"Like a rainbow." Yolei said.

"But look what happens if the balance is destroyed." T.K. pressed the button, and the lines swirled into one another.

"Looks like it's all going down the drain." Davis noted. Though meant as a joke, it couldn't be more accurate. The colors continued to mix and swirl until the screen went…..

"Black." Kari breathed.

"And in the end, every world might be covered in darkness." Gatomon said grimly. "As dark as a black cat at midnight."

"We can't let that happen." Davis said.

"Come on, guys." Rika encouraged. "It's not like this hasn't happened before. The balance of the Digital World has gone a little wonky before. What about four years ago when all those Digimon attacked Tokyo and Odaiba? Or eight years ago when that giant bird and dinosaur Digimon appeared at Highton View Terrace?"

"You remember that?" Kari blinked in surprise.

"You bet." Rika nodded. "I was visiting friends at the time of Parrotmon and Greymon fighting that night. And when the news covered all those 'monster' attacks four years ago, I was fascinated by it. They were the stuff of my dreams, and I wanted nothing more than to meet one." She smiled at Wizardmon. "And I got my wish, even after the chaos died down and all the Digimon seemed to disappear." She looked back to her human friends. "The DigiDestined restored balance before and they can do it again. It's our turn now."

"You're right." T.K. said. "And that's exactly why we have to protect the remaining Destiny Stones."

"Hi!"

Everyone turned to see Izzy at the doorway, holding his laptop under one arm as usual. "Hey Izzy!" Yolei greeted. "Great timing! Just hold on." She hurried to her bag and returned with a small towel. "I got you a decorative dish towel. Cute, huh?"

"Yeah. Thanks Yolei." Izzy said as he came in. "And I have a gift for you guys too."

"You hate the towel, right?" Yolei guessed.

"I've written an algorithm for the D3 and D-terminal." Izzy sat down and pulled up a program on his computer. "Once I transfer it in, you'll be able to use the D-terminal to see the rift in the plane." He typed away on his computer until everyone's D3s and D-terminals had the same program as his computer. "Rika, it'll work for your D-terminal phone but I haven't quite worked out the bugs for an algorithm that works on our version of the Digivices."

"No problem." Rika showed the warp map on her phone to Izzy. "I'll always have my D-terminal/phone on me."

"Wow, Izzy, this is great!" T.K. complimented. "We can use this to track down BlackWarGreymon."

"Well gee, it's the least I could do after Yolei got me that neat towel." Izzy said.

"So you do like the towel! Yay!" Yolei cheered.

"And Rika, I was wondering if I could analyze your Digivice one of these days." Izzy said.

"Why's that?" Rika asked.

"It's very strange." Izzy explained. "Your Digivice is the same model as the older DigiDestined's, yet it has the capabilities of both the older version and the newer D3 version. I'd like to plug into my computer and see what's up with it."

"You can do it later. Let's go mop up BlackWarGreymon!" Davis called.

"Wait, I've got mail." Kari called. She opened her D-terminal and discovered the email from Ken.

"Jeez Kari!" Davis groaned. "You'd think that 'I've got mail' is your middle name!"

"Yeah, Kari check that later!" Yolei moved to Izzy's computer and pulled up a gate. "Digi-port open! Let's go save the DigiWorld one more time!"

* * *

><p>BlackWarGreymon stared up at the Destiny Stone, this one shaped more like a rectangular tablet with the gold ring glowing softly. "The Destiny Stone. Almost looks too beautiful to destroy." His gaze hardened. "But I must." <em>Still. <em>Why _do I have to destroy them? I suppose they give me some satisfaction. But there are only so many of them. What happens after I destroy all the Destiny Stones? If it is my destiny to destroy them all, what is my destiny after that? Where do I go from there? _He sighed angrily. _I guess I won't know until after I destroy these stones. Even if it doesn't seem to help this emptiness within me. _

"_Terra Destroyer!" _He threw a blast into the Destiny Stone, cracking it and destroying the base that held it in place. _"Terra Destroyer!" _Two more powerful blows and the stone was destroyed, as usual. But this time, a bright light appeared over the spot the Destiny Stone used to rest in. In the light, BlackWarGreymon saw the form of a dragon-like Digimon, its form fuzzy and unclear. BlackWarGreymon's eyes widened. "What? Could this be it? The foe I've been searching for? Perhaps I am drawing him closer by destroying the Destiny Stones." Then, the light and the Digimon disappeared, leaving no trace it ever showed up. "No! No this can't be! After all my searching my opponent can't just run away!" He growled fiercely. "No! I must destroy another stone to draw out my foe." _Finally, I've found a reason to destroy these stones. I'm going to find my greatest foe. At last!_

* * *

><p>The DigiDestined Armor Digivolved their Digimon (with the exception of Stingmon) and rode them to the next Destiny Stone, following the warps BlackWarGreymon left in his trail. Unfortunately, they all became very disheartened when they discovered only ruins and no holy stone.<p>

"Oh no." Kari sighed sadly.

"We got here too late." Davis groaned.

"No duh, Goggle Head." Rika droned.

"Another Stone destroyed." Ken growled in frustration.

"What'll we do?" Yolei asked. "At this rate, they'll all be destroyed before we can stop BlackWarGreymon."

"No!" T.K.'s angry tone caught them all off guard. "There's no way I'm going to stand by and let some soulless creature made from evil Control Spires destroy the Digital World! I want that ugly thing destroyed!"

Cody stared at T.K. _I've never seen T.K. so angry. No, that's not true. In the tunnels…it's like there are two sides to him….two people inside him._

_Poor T.K. _Wizardmon thought. _Through reading his mind all I can see is him thinking about a fight with Devimon. Angemon's actions to save his partner were noble, but they left an impact on that little boy that carries to today. _He noticed Rika's irritated glare cast towards T.K. _And something tells me it's going to clash with Rika's own traumas._

"Take a chill pill, T.K." Rika snapped. "He's not ugly and maybe he's not even evil."

"What're you talking about? Of course he is!" Davis insisted. "And we gotta stop him!"

"Okay, we'll have all the Digimon in the area locate the other Destiny Stones." T.K. decided. "That should give us the edge over BlackWarGreymon."

_So who's talking now? _Cody wondered. _The rational T.K.? Or the angry one? And which one is the _real _T.K.?_

Wizardmon knelt down and picked up a piece of rock, unsure if it belonged to the Destiny Stone or not. _I feel no trace of the stone's power. When the Destiny Stone is destroyed, it's really gone. And if they all become destroyed, we're done for. _Then, something golden caught his eye, and he dropped the rock to sift through the rubble and retrieve it. At first, he assumed it Gatomon's tail ring. But when he pulled it out he found only a piece of the ring that used to hug the Destiny Stone. _But I don't understand. If the Destiny Stones are destroyed then so are the rings, right? _Wizardmon's eyes widened a little. _Or maybe not. _The Majin reached forward and brushed away some dust. He placed the golden shard on the clear spot and piled rocks and dust on top, hiding it from view.

"Hey Wizardmon, come on!" Rika called. "There's nothing else we can do here."

Wizardmon stared at the place he buried the ring, then turned and joined the others. _Perhaps all is not lost. Maybe, just maybe, the Destiny Stones can be recovered somehow._

* * *

><p>"See you tomorrow, guys!" Kari called as she and Davis jogged off.<p>

T.K. smiled after them, unable to wave with Patamon in his hands. He looked down to see Cody still hadn't left; neither did Rika. "Rika, shouldn't you be getting home with Kari? And Cody, don't you have kendo practice?"

Cody seemed jolted from his thoughts. "What's that? Oh, yes I do, thanks."

"Cody actually invited me and Wizardmon to join him so we can learn what kendo is like." Rika said. "Maybe I can use the techniques with my sword." They hurried off, leaving Yolei and T.K. to stare after them for a moment before continuing on their way.

Cody soon slowed his jog to a steady walk, Rika and Wizardmon matching his pace. Upamon noticed his trainer's troubled look. "What's up with you, Cody? You seem sad." Cody didn't answer. "Is it BlackWarGreymon?"

Cody finally stopped and sighed. "No Upamon. It's…T.K. I'm worried that he and I will have to DNA Digivolve together soon."

"You don't know that." Rika encouraged. "Remember you still have me and Wizardmon. Maybe Armadillomon and Wizardmon will DNA Digivolve."

"Unless I'm meant to DNA Digivolve with Angemon." Wizardmon pointed out. "But of course that would leave Cody out."

Rika elbowed her partner's ribs. "Not helping."

"But there'd be nothing better, would there?" Upamon asked. "All three of us could DNA Digivolve!"

"It's not just that." Cody said. "I don't know, I thought I knew who T.K. was but now it's like he….sometimes it just seems like he's a completely different person."

"Maybe you're just getting to know him better." Upamon suggested hopefully. "Just because you see a new side to someone it doesn't mean it's a bad side. Look at us Digimon; we change all the time and I don't hear you complaining about us getting you out of tough scrapes." His smile disappeared. "Unless you do it when I'm not around. You don't do it when I'm not around, do you?"

Cody only laughed. "Come on. Let's get to kendo practice." Rika urged. "I want to see what your grandpa can do with a sword."

Cody nodded and they resumed their walk. "Say Rika? Have you and T.K. been fighting a lot recently?"

"We've had our disagreements." Rika said stiffly.

"I meant recently." Cody said. "You two seem to not get along very well."

"T.K. and I have very different opinions about things concerning the Digital World." Rika explained. "Especially with this BlackWarGreymon business. I mean, from what Kari and Tai told me about their adventures in the Digital World, it would seem T.K. only spent a few months at the most in the Digital World. Even though we go after school almost every day, that's really nothing compared to over four years I spent there. I _lived _in the Digital World. That place was my home. Even when I was a little kid, I had to fight Digimon and interact with them."

"So your experiences in the Digital World gave you a different opinion on how to handle Digimon?" Cody guessed.

"Even when I fought against Digimon, I always spared their lives." Rika said. "No matter how evil, I gave them a second chance to live." She cast a look to Wizardmon. "I know what it's like to come close to death, and to be given a second chance. Despite what my Crest may say about me, I can't just destroy _any _Digimon; only if they're the evilest creature alive, or if they were threatening me and I just reacted. After what I went through, it still feels a little wrong to take away the life of another."

"But BlackWarGreymon's a Control Spire Digimon." Cody reasoned. "He's not a real one." He noticed Rika's strange look. "Unless you found something that says otherwise."

"And what if I did?" Rika asked. "Would T.K. put aside his hatred and let go of his anger?" Not waiting for an answer, Rika sighed albeit angrily. "Let's keep moving. We're almost there, right?" Cody didn't answer, but nodded and continued leading the way.

_I don't think they realize it, but T.K. and Rika could be such good friends. _Wizardmon thought. _I mean, they have a lot in common. Above all, the one thing that stands out is their experiences with traumatic events. Rika lost her family; T.K. lost his Digimon. But they both got what they lost back again, right? Patamon is still with T.K., reborn from his Digi-Egg. The DigiDestined became Rika's new family. _He stared at Rika out of the corner of his eye. _Still, as I watch them argue nowadays, I'm starting to realize how differently Rika thinks from _all _the DigiDestined. I keep hoping this won't cause conflicts with them; I mean, they're best friends now. But I keep getting this weird feeling that something really bad is going to happen. I wonder….is it at all possible that Rika will become enemies with T.K.? With the entire DigiDestined team?_

_I hope not._

* * *

><p>The next day, the team of kids and Digimon continued searching for the next Destiny Stone in hopes of protecting it this time. Now, they traveled through a rocky, almost mountainous area with numerous canyons but limited bridges to cross. The bridges they found felt awfully rickety and wobbled terribly when they walked across.<p>

"It's scary up here." Kari gulped.

"There's nothing to be afraid of." Davis assured. "Just don't look down."

"Oh, I looked down!" Kari gasped. "Now I can't stop looking down!"

"Kari, would you like me to fly you over?" Wizardmon asked, floating beside the brunette.

"N-no, I'm okay." Kari assured. "Go on ahead, Wizardmon." The Majin nodded and obeyed. Kari took a few breaths, staring at her feet. "Just a few more steps."

Davis jogged a bit to reach solid ground. "Come on, Kari!"

Kari took a breath and started forward, only to trip and start falling towards the ground. Davis lunged to catch her, but Yolei reached the girl first, helping Kari upright. Davis just stood them mouth open and making a strange noise in his throat.

"Are you okay now, Kari?" Yolei asked with a smile. Kari nodded with a smile and the girls walked off the bridge together.

Davis stared after them with a despaired look. "I'm too slow."

"Did the Digimon find where the other Destiny Stones are?" Kari asked.

"I'd bet my nine lives." Gatomon said. Veemon and Hawkmon agreed.

"Well why don't we split up and start searching?" Ken suggested. "The first one to find the stone will alert the others." The others nodded in agreement and split up based on DNA Digivolving partners, leaving Cody, T.K., Rika, and their Digimon alone.

"Looks like it's us three." T.K. said.

"Hey don't overlook me!" Gabumon said as he hurried across the bridge.

"Ah, Gabumon!" T.K. greeted.

"Hi guys." Gabumon greeted. "There's a Destiny Stone just over these mountains."

"What do you know?" Rika smirked. "Gatomon gets to keep her nine lives."

"Thanks Gabumon." T.K. said. "Well a little height never hurt anyone."

"Yeah, unless of course your boots are too small." Gabumon's voice went a little more serious. "Listen, there's something else I need to tell ya. It seems that…."

"You can tell us Gabumon." T.K. assured.

"BlackWarGreymon has a heart." Gabumon said.

"He what?" T.K. asked in surprise.

_I knew it. _Wizardmon thought.

"I know it may be hard to believe, but it's true!" Gabumon insisted.

"But how?" Cody asked. "I mean, he's only made from Control Spires, right?"

"I know, I know." Gabumon nodded. "But Agumon told me so. No creature without a heart could ask the soul-searching questions _he _asks."

"Gabumon's right." Rika said.

"How do you know?" Cody asked.

"Rika and I did some tracking, following BlackWarGreymon for a while." Wizardmon explained. "I could see within him, and I found something other Control Spire Digimon didn't have. Not only does he seem to have a conscience, but it seems he has a spark of a Life Flame in him. I can't be sure if it's a full Life Flame, but it's like combining all those Control Spires allowed him to develop life."

"But then, why is he always fighting us and trying to destroy all the Destiny Stones?" Cody asked.

"This only he can answer." Gabumon said cryptically.

"I don't think he _wants _to destroy the stones." Rika said. "I mean, maybe he just thinks he's meant to do it, so he's trying to follow his destiny. Wouldn't you do the same if you felt so strongly about it?"

"Yeah, I guess." Cody said. "But how can we destroy BlackWarGreymon if he's got a heart? It'd be like destroying you, Armadillomon."

"What _should _we do?" Armadillomon asked.

"The answer is simple: we _don't _destroy him." Rika shrugged. "We'll defeat him but not kill him."

"No, no!" T.K. snapped. "We _have _to destroy BlackWarGreymon! Even if he has a heart, it has been turned evil by the powers of darkness!"

Cody stared worriedly at T.K. _Will you let your anger rule you, T.K.?_

Rika glared hard at T.K. "Hello? DigiDestined of Darkness standing _right here._"

"Rika, I'm sure that's not what he meant." Wizardmon assured.

"And another thing." Rika stepped towards T.K., ignoring her partner. "Weren't _you_ the one who always said we can't destroy living Digimon? Well guess what: BlackWarGreymon has a heart so by your logic and laws we can't destroy him."

"I don't think he has a heart." T.K. said firmly. "It's not possible for someone like him."

"Someone like him?" Rika repeated with sass in her tone. "You mean a Control Spire Digimon? Just because he's made from Control Spires doesn't mean he's without a heart!"

"Well if he _does _have one it's evil!" T.K. snapped. "He's been affected by the powers—"

"Powers of darkness, I know." Rika growled. "Darkness isn't always evil, you know."

"Name one instance!"

"And if I can't?"

"Then all darkness is evil."

"Including me?"

"Well you're not always the nicest person in the world!"

"And you think you're any better?"

_This is really going to get out of hand. _Wizardmon thought. _But in hindsight, I don't think I could've stopped it._

_Oh T.K. _Patamon mentally groaned. _Why do you have to be so angry?_

_Somebody's got to do something. _Armadillomon looked back and forth between T.K. and Rika. _We can't let them keep going like this._

_Now I wish I hadn't brought up the subject. _Gabumon mentally sighed. _But it was awfully important._

"My mind is made up, Rika." T.K. said. "BlackWarGreymon needs to be destroyed. And that's final."

Rika still glared, her tone going almost sinister. "Funny. I don't remember you having the power to tell me what to do."

"Hey, the others are flying off without us." Armadillomon pointed to the other DigiDestined flying off. The others waved as their friends disappeared over the peaks, searching for the Destiny Stone.

"Rika, why don't we follow them?" Wizardmon suggested. "T.K., you stay with Cody and walk there. Sorry Cody, but I would feel better if someone joined you."

"It's okay." Cody assured. "I wouldn't mind the extra company." _But I kind of wish Rika would stay with me instead. I mean, she doesn't go back and forth like T.K. does; she's able to control her emotions a little better._

Wizardmon Armor Digivolved to Dynasmon and Rika climbed atop his back, the two of them flying off. Once T.K. and Cody disappeared from sight, Dynasmon made a sharp turn and went a different way.

"Any particular reason you're taking the scenic route?" Rika asked.

"I didn't think T.K. would approve if I told him we were going to try and slow down BlackWarGreymon." Dynasmon said.

"Why not?" Rika scoffed. "He seems to like the idea of destroying him."

"Yes, but after seeing you and T.K. argue like that I think telling him would've only made it worse." Dynasmon said. "Now I need you to be quiet for a moment; I don't know how far off BlackWarGreymon is so I'll have to concentrate a lot of my energy to tracking his aura." Rika nodded and fell silent, allowing Dynasmon to work. Within minutes, Dynasmon located BlackWarGreymon and shot down to find him. The dark armored Digimon flew at great speed through the canyon, but Dynasmon flapped his wings and easily caught up.

"BlackWarGreymon!" Rika called. "We need to talk to you!"

"Go away." BlackWarGreymon ordered.

"BlackWarGreymon, please!" Dynasmon called. "Slow down and let us help you!"

"I don't recall _asking _for your help!" BlackWarGreymon snapped.

Rika frowned. "Dynasmon, fly ahead and down a little lower."

"Rika, do _not _do something stupid and dangerous." Dynasmon ordered.

"I won't." Rika assured.

"Okay, if you say so." Dynasmon flew farther ahead and lowered in altitude. Then, quite suddenly, Rika jumped off his back and dived down towards BlackWarGreymon. Dynasmon instantly began freaking out. "Rika! That's one of the stupid and dangerous things I didn't want you to do!"

Rika landed on BlackWarGreymon's back and grabbed his horns tightly in her hands. "BlackWarGreymon! Just stop and listen to me for a moment!"

"Get off." BlackWarGreymon growled.

"BlackWarGreymon, whether you like or not you're going to listen to me!" Rika snapped. "The other DigiDestined want to destroy you, but I know you have a heart! Which makes you a living creature and that means you have good inside you!"

"I fail to see your point." BlackWarGreymon asked.

"My point is you don't have to be evil! You don't have to destroy the Destiny Stones!" Rika insisted.

"But I do." BlackWarGreymon said. "If I destroy them, my ultimate foe will appear and I will finally face him in battle."

"But if you keep destroying those stones, the DigiDestined will try and destroy _you_!" Rika growled. "I don't go through so much trouble for just _anyone _you know! You think I would've jumped off Dynasmon's back for just _any _Digimon?"

"I do!" Dynasmon called.

BlackWarGreymon suddenly stopped flying, forcing Dynasmon to stop as well and fly back to him. The dark armored Digimon didn't move for several moments, Rika still hanging off his back.

"Why do you care about me, child?" BlackWarGreymon asked.

"Honestly, I don't know." Rika admitted. "I guess because you seem like a good friend. I believe that no matter what a Digimon's origin, if he or she is a living creature then they have good in them. It wouldn't feel right to destroy you. You're not evil; just lost."

BlackWarGreymon made a "hmm" noise, as though thinking deeply.

"I have a question for you now." Rika said. "That is, if I may ask it."

"You may." BlackWarGreymon said simply.

"Why do _you _seem to care about _me_?" Rika asked. "More than once, you could've just destroyed me but you never did. You always seemed to make sure I was out of the way before you destroyed stuff. Why did you spare me when it would've been easier to crush me?"

"I'm not sure." BlackWarGreymon admitted. "For some reason, the thought of destroying you does not bring me satisfaction. In fact, thinking about it makes me feel very…..dissatisfied. I can't explain it."

"I think you care about her like she cares about you." Dynasmon said. "You hold her close to your heart."

BlackWarGreymon didn't answer. He reached around and gently took Rika in his claws, lifting her up and setting her on a ledge nearby. "I do not know why I feel this way towards you. I still don't even know if my heart exists. All I know now is destroying the Destiny Stones. I know nothing else, so unless you know a different destiny that is mine I must follow this one. I only ask you stay out of the way so no harm comes to you." He shot off, forcing Dynasmon to duck to avoid getting his head taken off. The DigiDestined of Darkness stared after BlackWarGreymon.

"We're going after him, aren't we?" Dynasmon asked.

"You bet." Rika nodded.

* * *

><p>"<em>ExVeemon…..Stingmon….DNA Digivolve to…..Paildramon!"<em>

"_Aquilamon…Gatomon…..DNA Digivolve to…..Silphymon!"_

While the two DNA Digivolved Digimon prepared for battle, their partners quickly hid behind the safety of some rocks to watch. Paildramon sent a flurry of blasts from the guns at his hips, not hitting BlackWarGreymon but kicking up enough dirt and rocks to cause him to stop flying and land.

"Your poor aim indicates you're not a worthy opponent for me." BlackWarGreymon scoffed. "Now step aside."

"You can try to get past me, but I should warn you." Paildramon taunted. "The punch I'm packing isn't fruit punch!"

_Could they have come up with a worse taunt? _Gatomon mentally sighed.

Paildramon shot forward, the spears on his hands glowing like Stingmon's Spiking Strike. But no matter how many times he jabbed, BlackWarGreymon easily countered the attacks with his razor sharp claws.

"You might think you're the most powerful Digimon alive, but you're in for quite a shock!" Silphymon shouted, its body glowing brightly while flying towards BlackWarGreymon. The glow became a strong attack that actually hit BlackWarGreymon and forced him to slam into a wall. Silphymon launched a Static Force attack, but BlackWarGreymon jumped away just in time. Paildramon and Silphymon stayed between their opponent and the Destiny Stone, determined to protect it from destruction.

"You fight well." BlackWarGreymon commented. "But you won't defeat me."

Suddenly, Arukenimon and Mummymon dropped down and landed in front of BlackWarGreymon. "Well, well, look who's here." Arukenimon chuckled. "We can take it from here, BlackWarGreymon."

"Yeah, let them try to dodge this." Mummymon shot the white-hot blast from his gun, forcing Silphymon to run and dive behind a rock for cover.

_As if I need their help. _BlackWarGreymon thought. _Still, at least now I have a clear path to the Destiny Stone. _While Silphymon and Paildramon battled Arukenimon and Mummymon, the black armored Digimon stepped up to the diamond-shaped stone with the gold band. "And now, to destroy this Destiny Stone and summon my nemesis."

"Paildramon!" Davis shouted in a panic. "Come quick!" He and the other children stayed in their spots, knowing they didn't stand a chance against BlackWarGreymon. Unfortunately, Paildramon and Silphymon couldn't break away from their fights to stop BlackWarGreymon; Mummymon and Arukenimon kept them plenty busy. While Arukenimon prepared to take on Paildramon, Mummymon used his bandages to catch Silphymon and began constricting the hybrid. However, before he could pull the bandages tighter than they already were a sword sliced through the linen Mummymon held. A black boot connected with the undead Digimon's face and sent him sprawling.

"Baalmon!" Paildramon cheered. "Nice of you to join the party!"

"Silphymon!" Baalmon called, still holding his sword ready.

"We're fine!" Silphymon called back, arms still bound.

"We can break out of this ourselves!" Gatomon's voice came from Silphymon. "Just go stop BlackWarGreymon!"

"You got it!" Rika nodded as she darted past. Baalmon joined her as they charged for BlackWarGreymon.

"Go ahead, BlackWarGreymon." Arukenimon ordered. "Destroy the Stone."

"This is worse than the last time!" Yolei whimpered. "At least then we didn't have to watch it blow up!"

Kari noticed something out of the corner of her eye and she discovered T.K. and Cody with their Digimon, up on a ledge several yards up. "T.K.! Help!" she called, her voice echoing in the canyon.

T.K. paused and looked over the edge. "Oh no! Patamon!"

"Ready Armadillomon?" Cody asked.

"_Patamon digivolve to…Angemon!"_

"_Armadillomon digivolve to…..Ankylomon!"_

T.K. and Cody carefully slid down the side of the cliff and hid behind some rocks while Angemon and Ankylomon ran into battle.

"_Hand of Fate!" _Angemon threw his signature attack, but BlackWarGreymon easily dodged it before brutally punching Angemon aside, forcing the angel Digimon to smash into the Destiny Stone and hit the ground. Stubborn as he was, Angemon leaped into battle again. But BlackWarGreymon threw punch after punch, beating Angemon back easily. Anger fueled the dark armored Digimon's attacks, causing more pain and leaving harder blows than normal.

"Angemon!" T.K. shouted.

"He's too mean to have a heart!" Cody growled.

_Meanness is completely irrelevant to whether or not he has a heart. _Rika thought. She jumped in the space between BlackWarGreymon and Angemon, glaring hard. "Just stop it! We don't want to fight you!"

"Speak for yourself!" Davis shouted.

"That's not helpful!" Baalmon snapped, jumping towards BlackWarGreymon. But the Control Spire Digimon jumped aside, over Rika's head and landing beside Angemon. He took the angel Digimon by the throat and lifted him into the air. Ankylomon, seeing his friend in danger, charged forward to help. But BlackWarGreymon didn't even turn as he swung his free arm around and smashed Ankylomon into the cliff wall. Dazed, Ankylomon hit the ground. Angemon struggled and gasped, fighting to pull BlackWarGreymon's claws off his neck.

"Angemon! No!" T.K. cried.

"Angemon!" Baalmon shouted, running forward and swinging his gun arm to knock loose his comrade-in-arms. BlackWarGreymon easily caught the sleeved arm in his claws and stopped him. Baalmon pulled, but couldn't break free. "BlackWarGreymon, stop this! You don't have to fight us or destroy the Destiny Stones!"

"This is my destiny." BlackWarGreymon said. "I cannot avoid it."

"You have free will! You can choose for yourself!" Baalmon insisted. "This isn't your destiny; you're just doing what Arukenimon wants you to do! Like one of her mindless drones."

"Funny." BlackWarGreymon growled, tightening his grip on Baalmon and Angemon. "For someone who wants to be my friend, you sure know how to insult people!" He suddenly threw Baalmon aside, causing him to bounce and roll and hit the rock Rika stood beside.

"I'm not so sure that was a good approach." Rika noted, kneeling beside her Digimon.

"Gee, you think so?" Baalmon snapped.

"Fight, Angemon!" T.K. shouted. "Fight!"

"There must be _something_ we can do!" Cody growled. "He's getting pulverized!"

T.K. shook with rage. "Not again." He murmured. "Not again. It's just like when Angemon fought Devimon and sacrificed himself to save me. No…..no I can't let that happen again! I can't lose him again. BlackWarGreymon is just like Kimeramon: a creation of evil that's out of control and won't stop until the whole Digital World is in ruins!" He squeezed his eyes shut. "The world will end."

If the others weren't listening before, they certainly did after hearing that last comment. "Does he mean the Real World?" Davis asked worriedly. Though some would've called him stupid, at that point the guess seemed very logical.

_BlackWarGreymon is _not _like Kimeramon. _Rika thought. _Kimeramon was pure evil; he didn't think for himself. BlackWarGreymon was created for evil but he has the choice to be different. Why can't everyone else see that?_

"T.K." Angemon gasped, still struggling to escape. "T.K., you're right about BlackWarGreymon. He must be stopped no matter what the cost is. Don't worry about me. Save the world!"

_You are a fool. How can you be so sure that what I am doing will destroy the world? I am only following my destiny! Why are you trying to stop me? _BlackWarGreymon threw Angemon aside, and the angel Digimon hit the Destiny Stone and slumped to the ground.

Then, the Destiny Stone shone brightly with a blue glow. Angemon turned and sighed in awe. _I feel a new power within me. It's just like the power I felt when I fought Piedmon and digivolved. Could I….?_

"Angemon!" T.K. shouted. "Digivolve!"

Angemon suddenly became enveloped in the blue glow of the Destiny Stone. The angel Digimon's armor and weapons became more ornate and a fresh surge of power coursed through his veins.

"_Angemon digivolve to…..MagnaAngemon!"_

Everyone stared in awe, gasping collectively. "MagnaAngemon?"

"He Digivolved to Ultimate?" Cody breathed.

"The power of the Stone." T.K. sighed in awe.

Blinded by the light and overwhelmed by the power, Mummymon left a gap in his defense and Paildramon smacked him to the ground. Arukenimon groaned in worry, then took off running when Silphymon broke free from the linen around its arms. Silphymon shot a Static Force, nailing Arukenimon even though she claimed she could easily escape. Paildramon rapidly fired his Desperado Blaster and sent Mummymon scrambling after Arukenimon. Then the two hybrid Digimon turned to watch BlackWarGreymon and MagnaAngemon.

"You've turned the tide, MagnaAngemon!" T.K. called.

_Good. _Rika sighed, sheathing her sword. _Maybe now we can work things out and calm everyone down._ She cast a look at the Ultimate Level Angel Digimon. _Then again, MagnaAngemon looks more ready to fight than talk._

MagnaAngemon landed before BlackWarGreymon. "You are made of pure darkness. And I cannot allow you to stay in the Digital World."

"'Allow me'?" BlackWarGreymon repeated, sounding insulted. "Who are _you_ to decide my fate?"

_He has no right to. _Rika thought, glaring at MagnaAngemon. _Why isn't T.K. stopping him? They can't just kill him! What right does he have? None!_

"I understand what a heart is for." MagnaAngemon told BlackWarGreymon. "Unlike you, who thinks it means that you can do whatever you want. Your irresponsibility could destroy the whole world so you must be stopped. Now prepare to feel my wrath!" He unsheathed his laser-like purple blade, and BlackWarGreymon held up his claws to prepare for the blow.

Rika's fists clenched tightly, her eyes set in a fiery glare. _I can't take this anymore! How can he assume so much? He's making up things to justify the killing of BlackWarGreymon! What does MagnaAngemon know about what a heart is for? Just because his beliefs are different from BlackWarGreymon's. He's not irresponsible; he's lost! He needs guidance, not destruction! Give him a chance! _She let out an almost feral growl. _I can't just sit here anymore. I need to do something._

"Rika." Baalmon whispered, catching her attention. "Did you know that even in my Ultimate and Armor Digivolved forms, I have the power to read minds?"

Rika instantly caught on, and she turned her gaze back to BlackWarGreymon and MagnaAngemon. "So?"

Baalmon's gaze locked on the soon-to-be battle between the Ultimate and the Mega Digimon, and he stood up. "I agree."

"_Gate of Destiny!" _MagnaAngemon slowly swung his blade around and created a circular, golden gate with strange symbols. "Here is the instrument of your doom, BlackWarGreymon. There will be no escape." The gate opened to reveal a rippling portal that led to who-knows-where. MagnaAngemon swung his sword, but BlackWarGreymon caught it in his claws. "Back to darkness with you!" MagnaAngemon growled, pushing against the dark armored Digimon. The circular gate floated around and settled behind BlackWarGreymon, an invisible force beginning to pull in some loose rocks.

"You are strong, and almost worthy to fight me." BlackWarGreymon grunted and growled as he grappled with the angel Digimon. He growled again when he felt his feet beginning to lift off the ground. "If I cannot win, at least I will not allow myself to be defeated by the likes of you! You shall find that even if you think you've beaten me, you really haven't."

"Why don't we find out, though?" MagnaAngemon taunted. He swiped his sword, and BlackWarGreymon started flying backwards towards the gate.

_BAM!_

The Gate of Destiny suddenly spun out of control and smashed into the rock wall of the canyon.

The portal disappeared and the golden gate broke to pieces before disintegrating.

BlackWarGreymon landed on the ground, and then heard a softer _thud _as someone landed behind him. He turned to look…..

…..Baalmon stared back.

Everyone's jaws dropped after seeing such an action.

"Baalmon….kicked it away…." Kari whispered.

"Baalmon!" Davis shouted. "Why would you do that? We could've beaten him!"

Baalmon's gaze remained on BlackWarGreymon, as though speaking more to the Digimon rather than the child who spoke to him. "My partner gave me an order. And I agreed with her."

Everyone whipped around to Rika, who never moved an inch from her spot. Her gaze stayed on BlackWarGreymon, but his yellow eyes remained locked on Baalmon's red ones. Then, BlackWarGreymon jumped into the air.

"_Terra Destroyer!" _He threw his signature attack and the massive ball of energy smashed into the Destiny Stone, destroying it. Rika stared with an emotionless gaze while everyone else looked horrified.

Up at the safety of their car, Mummymon and Arukenimon could see the blast clearly. "Well now, that's what I like to see." Arukenimon said, pleased. "Another one bites the dust. And soon now, they'll _all _be gone."

"No!" Paildramon growled.

Baalmon stared in shock and a little anger. _You mean after all that, everything we've told you and after I just saved your life, you're still going to destroy those stones? _His fist clenched around his sword. _I knew I shouldn't have trusted him._

MagnaAngemon dedigivolved back down to Patamon, staring sadly up at his human partner. "I failed, T.K. The Destiny Stone is destroyed."

T.K. smiled softly, scooping up his Digimon in his arms. _At least he's safe. That's what matters._

Suddenly, a column of light appeared where the Stone used to rest, revealing a dragon-like Digimon that twitched and seemed to writhe in pain.

"Hey look!" Kari breathed.

"What's that?" Yolei gasped.

"A Digimon?" Davis guessed.

"Yes." Ken confirmed. "And it's in pain."

"My nemesis. Appear and fight me!" BlackWarGreymon demanded. But suddenly, the light and the Digimon disappeared. BlackWarGreymon growled. "Again he retreats. He is taunting me." The black armored Digimon let out an enraged roar.

"BlackWarGreymon!" Baalmon called, making the mentioned Digimon turn. _Maybe I can reach him this way; give him one last chance, for Rika's sake._ "If you want to fight a worthy opponent, fight me! I have the power to give a good fight and then you'll be satisfied! Let us help you realize your true destiny."

BlackWarGreymon stared at Baalmon. _By "us", he must mean himself and his human partner. The other children and their Digimon do not want me alive. He must be very powerful; but he also saved my life. I mean, I could've handled myself, but he didn't seem to care. I suppose I am indebted to him, so I cannot attack him._

"I must find the next Destiny Stone. My opponent shall not escape me." BlackWarGreymon shot off, over Baalmon's head, and disappeared into the canyon. Baalmon stared after him, looking almost disappointed.

Rika approached her Digmon as he dedigivolved to Wizardmon. "You tried. That's all I can ask for now."

"Hey!"

The other DigiDestined, including their dedigivolved Digimon, approached Rika. Their faces combined held a mix of emotions. Davis and Veemon looked plenty irritated. Cody looked conflicted, unsure how to react. Kari and Ken stared at Rika with concerned gazes, their minds racing. Most of all, everyone stared worriedly at T.K. as the blonde marched up to the raven-haired girl. T.K.'s face, especially his eyes, possessed more anger than any of them ever saw before, and all of it focused on Rika. Patamon stayed back with the other DigiDestined, staring with a little fear at his human partner.

"How dare you!" T.K. shouted. "How dare you order Baalmon to do that? We could've stopped BlackWarGreymon but you saved him! Are you insane? What were you thinking? How could you betray us like that? I thought you were our friend! Friends don't do stupid things like—"

_BAM!_

Everyone gasped collectively as Rika's fist connected with T.K.'s mouth, sending him reeling backwards. He stumbled, almost falling but managing to stay on his feet. The blonde reached a hand up and put it to his mouth. When he pulled the appendage back, blood stained his fingers. His mouth was bleeding. Even Wizardmon seemed shocked by the action.

Rika stood straight and tall, glaring at T.K. "How dare I? _How dare I? _You act like I just committed a murder. What about _you? _What right do you have to take lives based on your own justice? Who are you to decide who shall live and who shall die? You have no right."

T.K.'s shocked look went back to a glare. "I'm a DigiDestined—"

"It is not the responsibility of the DigiDestined to be the judge, jury, and executioner." Rika growled. "You do not decide who lives and who dies. In fact, you're supposed to _protect_ Digimon, not kill them!"

"You don't know _anything _about being a DigiDestined!" T.K. shouted. "You're a DigiDestined of Darkness! You're meant to be our enemy! Ever since we met you, it's been fight after fight! Then you go and do this! You force your Digimon to interfere with our fight and you stopped us from defeating BlackWarGreymon."

"I didn't force him to do anything." Rika snapped.

"Yes you did!" T.K. insisted. "Wizardmon's too sensible to do something so stupid! He would never do something like that on his own free will." Wizardmon opened his mouth to speak, but Rika spoke first.

"Don't you dare speak about my Digimon like that! It wasn't a stupid move!" Rika shouted. "It was the right thing to do."

"BlackWarGreymon's going to destroy the Digital World and maybe even ours!" T.K. yelled.

"He needs guidance, not destruction!" Rika yelled back. "He's just lost and he needs someone to show him the proper path! BlackWarGreymon was never truly evil! The circumstances around our creation or birth do not make us who we are!"

"You unleashed the powers of darkness and now you've doomed us all!" T.K. snarled. "You're no better than the evil Digimon of this world!"

"Oh, you mean the Dark Masters?" Rika growled. "Or Myotismon? Or Apocalymon? Or even _Devimon_?"

T.K.'s glare hardened, and everyone else's worry grew. _Oh she shouldn't have said that. _Kari gulped a little.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Rika mocked. "Does that name bother you, T.K.? Poor you; poor little T.K. lost his Digimon for a whole day, too foolish and ignorant to realize Digimon never really die. Okay, so you went through a traumatic experience! So what? I know you went through a horrible moment when you lost Angemon to Devimon! You're not the only one! I bet we've all gone through something that scarred us! I lost my _entire family _and I couldn't do a thing about it! But look at you! Look, there's Patamon! At least you still have your Digimon and he's still alive to be with you!" Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them away_. "I will_ _never see my parents or grandparents ever again! Did you ever stop to think about that?" _She looked at each DigiDestined in turn. "Not a single person here knows what it's like to lose everything and everyone you hold close to your heart. You call _me_ a terrible person? None of you truly thought about what I went through even when you knew what happened to me." She turned on her heel and started walking off. "Let's go, Wizardmon. We're not welcome here."

"Okay." Wizardmon nodded reluctantly, following his human partner.

Gatomon gasped and suddenly ran forward, jumping in the departing DigiDestined's path. "No! You can't go!"

Rika stared at Gatomon with a softer look in her eyes. She turned and looked back at the others. "Can any of you look me in the eye and say you want me to stay?" Nobody spoke up, either looking at the ground or opening their mouths to speak but no words coming out. Rika readjusted her hat and glasses. "Just what I thought." She turned back to keep walking. "We can't stay, Gatomon. Nobody wants us here."

"No!" Gatomon growled. "I won't let you!"

"Gatomon—" Wizardmon tried to calm his friend down, but Gatomon suddenly went down on all fours and jumped forward, tackling Wizardmon to the ground. The cat Digimon stood on the wizard Digimon's chest, preventing him from standing up. She glared hard at him, but her eyes held more fear than anger. "You promised me, Wizardmon. You promised you would never leave me again. You're staying here and that's final!"

Wizardmon sighed, resting a gloved hand on Gatomon's head. "Gatomon, I can't leave Rika. If the others can't accept her, they can't accept me. The situation's not fair to anyone."

Gatomon kept glaring in almost desperation. Her claws dug into Wizardmon's vest and jumper, almost piercing his skin. "Please….don't leave me….you promised, and nobody should break their promises." Wizardmon sighed and sat up, hugging Gatomon. The cat purred a little, rubbing her head into the crook of the Majin's shoulder. The other DigiDestined stared sadly, but none of them could find words to speak. Wizardmon was right; the situation isn't fair to anybody. None of the DigiDestined knew if they wanted Rika back or not, too shocked and conflicted over her actions.

Rika stared at Gatomon and Wizardmon for a moment. "Wizardmon, is it true you promised Gatomon you would never leave her?"

Wizardmon looked up at Rika and nodded. "Yes. I did."

The girl in the witch's hat nodded, as though thinking intently. "Wizardmon, you will stay here to keep your promise to Gatomon. She's right; you should always keep your promises." She turned and started walking off. "I'm going off on my own."

Wizardmon's eyes widened a little and he hurriedly stood up, still holding Gatomon so she wouldn't fall. "What? Rika, you can't go off by yourself!"

"No one else wants me here." Rika said. "You're welcome with them; they all like you."

"Rika, I'm your Digimon." Wizardmon insisted, gently setting Gatomon down. "It's my job to watch over you! I made a promise to your grandfather that I'd take care of you."

"I relieve you of that responsibility." Rika said bluntly, still walking.

"Rika, stop!" Wizardmon called, hurrying after the girl.

Narrowing her eyes and regretfully hardening her heart, Rika spun around and summoned a ball of black fire in each palm. She threw them into the rocky ground at her feet, kicking up a large cloud of dust and rocks that enveloped the entire DigiDestined team. Everyone coughed and shielded their eyes. Wizardmon desperately tried to wave the dust away, but was forced to wait like everyone else for the dirt to settle. When it finally did, none of them could see Rika. She completely disappeared from sight and left no tracks.

Wizardmon stared at the open space, suddenly weak and falling to his knees. "Rika…."

Gatomon came up to Wizardmon, followed closely by Kari. "Wizardmon…." Kari sighed, kneeling down and hugging Wizardmon. Gatomon rubbed her friend's arm, sighing sadly. The rest of the DigiDestined stared at the trio, unsure what to say or do.

* * *

><p>"Compared to seeing that Destiny Stone destroyed, this bridge doesn't seem so bad anymore." Kari noted.<p>

As if on cue, Yolei tripped and her hand lunged for something to grab onto. Davis's hand reached out and he caught the purple-haired girl. "Good catch, Davis."

"Well, I had to make up for missing Kari before." Davis said, feeling a little awkward.

"You can pull her up anytime now." Veemon laughed. Davis's face flushed as he pulled Yolei to solid ground, Kari following.

"Our turn!" T.K. called, stepping onto the rickety bridge.

"Hey, T.K." Cody's voice made the blonde boy pause. "I think I understand now why you hate the powers of darkness like you do."

"I don't hate them, but I'm not going to give up trying to stop them." T.K. corrected. He stared off into the distance. _Even if that means I have to fight Rika too._

"T.K.! Cody! Hurry up!" Davis called, rocking the bridge back and forth as though it would make his friends go faster. "Rock the boat! Rock the boat! Rock the boat! Ro—"

"I'm gonna rock your head if you don't be quiet!" Yolei snapped, making Davis stop.

"Hey, are you coming, Cody?" T.K. called.

Cody looked down, but he and Armadillomon soon began their journey across the bridge. _I thought I'd figured T.K. out. Maybe I'll never understand him._

Armadillomon looked back. "Wizardmon? You coming?"

Wizardmon glared at the ground, but hurriedly marched forward and past the two boys and their Digimon. His shoulder clipped T.K., though many would guess the action done on purpose.

"Hey Wizardmon." Patamon called, making the Majin stop. "You okay?"

"No, I am _not _okay." Wizardmon snapped angrily.

T.K. frowned. "What's your problem?"

Quite suddenly, Wizardmon spun around and shot forward. He grabbed T.K. and flew up into the air, pulling the blonde boy with him. He gripped T.K.'s ankle tightly in his hand and flew higher, much to the other DigiDestined's horror.

"Wizardmon!" Cody shouted. "What are you doing?"

Wizardmon didn't answer until he was several stories above the ground, still holding T.K. by the ankle. "Did you _seriously _just ask me that?"

T.K. whimpered, fighting to not look towards the ground. "W-Wizardmon! Please don't drop me!"

The Majin ignored the boy's pleas. "I just lost my partner, my sister! The one person who I had to protect because it was my _job! _I chose to guard Gatomon and Kari and all of you on my own free will! Rika's grandfather gave me the job of caring for Rika right before he died!"

"It's not my fault she's the DigiDestined of Darkness and completely irrational!" T.K. protested. "She's completely unpredictable and maybe even evil!"

"She's not evil just because she thinks differently from you!" Wizardmon growled. "Your hatred and anger blinds you! This grudge you hold is against a Digimon long since defeated and dead! But you need something to direct your anger towards so you chose Rika!"

"But she's the DigiDestined of Darkness!" T.K. snapped. "That makes her our enemy, right? She fights us constantly!"

Wizardmon narrowed his eyes. Then, much to everyone's horror, he released T.K.'s ankle from his grip. The other DigiDestined children shouted in terror as T.K. fell down faster and faster, none of the Digimon strong enough to Digivolve and save him.

Right before T.K. could hit the small, rock-filled river and meet his death, Wizardmon appeared and caught him. T.K. breathed heavily, his eyes wild. Wizardmon floated up to the DigiDestined, setting T.K. down on his feet. Despite this, the blonde boy stumbled and Cody helped him sit down on a nearby rock. Wizardmon approached T.K., the others watching him warily.

"Rika always like to refer to the DigiDestined as a sort of family." Wizardmon said, his voice much calmer now. "Families fight all the time; relationships can't be peaceful _all _the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm still very angry with many of you. But even though I'm upset, I would _never_ let any harm come to you. I'm sure you guys got into plenty of arguments before, but you're all friends still, right? That's what you always need to remember: even when you get into the worst of arguments and you start to think you hate each other, you must remember your close friendship. If you allow hatred to divide this team, you will fall." He stepped past the DigiDestined to a nearby TV. "Let's go home." Kari nodded and pulled out her D3, opening a portal. In a flash, the wizard Digimon disappeared with Kari and Gatomon, leaving everyone else to stare after them and ponder his words.


	28. Wizardmon's Dark Digivolution

**Wizardmon's Dark Digivolution**

Mummymon kept staring at his beloved Arukenimon as the spider woman soaked in a hot bath, trying to relieve some stress from the day. She didn't say a word all day, even when Mummymon started flirting with her again. Not a single retort or threat or physical strike. Finally, Mummymon just couldn't stand it anymore. He knew the risks, but when Arukenimon became this silent something was _seriously _wrong. The undead Digimon approached his companion and cleared his throat.

"Dear?" Mummymon spoke up. "I know I shouldn't bother you, my sweet, but might I, as the humans say, offer a penny for your thoughts?"

Arukenimon didn't speak for a moment. A tired groan came from her mouth and she tilted her head back to stare at Mummymon. "Oh you are really an idiot. Can you not see what is wrong?"

"But Arukenimon, dearest." Mummymon soothed. "What could possibly be wrong? BlackWarGreymon is destroying the Destiny Stones, like you want. The Digital World will soon be no more. Isn't that great?"

"But those pathetic DigiDestined are going to stop us." Arukenimon said, staring straight ahead. "They're so persistent and deep down, I do fear they may come close to stopping us. Not that I believe it for a moment, but it's so bothersome when they show up every time BlackWarGreymon destroys a Destiny Stone. Not to mention I can't stand losing another fight to them."

"Well, I'm afraid it's unavoidable." Mummymon sighed. "Even when you create more Control Spire Digimon, they're no match for them."

Arukenimon twirled her hair for a moment, but then paused. "You're actually right, Mummymon."

"I am?" Mummymon blinked. _Has she gone mad?_

"A simple Control Spire Digimon can't destroy those kids." Arukenimon said. "BlackWarGreymon is a more complex Control Spire Digimon, but I need one that will obey me without question. A real Digimon could be controlled through fear and threat of pain."

"What Digimon could be strong enough to defeat those kids but will also follow orders without question?" Mummymon asked.

"We'll have to make one." Arukenimon said. "Only we'll need more magic than Control Spires." She stood from the bath and smirked evilly. "And I know just the Digimon who can help."

* * *

><p>Rika shouted in effort as she drove her foot down into the Snimon's head, pushing off and back flipping before landing softly on her feet. Snimon slashed his bladed arms, but Rika easily blocked it with her sword. Snimon continued to slash towards the girl, but Rika continued to parry his strikes. <em>I guess this is what I get for wandering into a creepy cave for no good reason. <em>Rika thought, ducking to avoid decapitation. _Although I _was _just looking for someplace to rest that was safe. So much for my judgment._

Giving another cry of effort, Rika kicked her foot up and nailed Snimon in the jaw. That last blow seemed to deter Snimon from attacking again and he flew off, disappearing in the trees. Rika glared after the praying mantis Digimon and sheathed her blade. When she felt sure her opponent wouldn't return, the raven-haired teen allowed her fatigue to take over and she fell to her hands and knees, panting heavily. She practically dragged herself to the lake nearby and scooped up the water into her hands, splashing the cold liquid into her face. She continued to pant and wheeze a little.

"'Spend a few days alone in the DigiWorld' I said." Rika sighed. "'Show them you can take care of yourself' I said. 'It won't be that bad' I said. I've been fighting Digimon all day today. It's just flat-out ridiculous." She groaned and fell back onto the sand. "When did being alone become so terrible? I _like _being alone. I don't need the others; I can do things by myself. The rest of the DigiDestined hold me back." She reached into her collar and pulled out her tag and Crest, staring at the moon and star symbol. Next she took out her Digivice and stared at that for a moment. The DigiDestined of Darkness sighed again and her gaze went skyward. "I miss you, Wizardmon. Kari, Gatomon. You guys accepted me into your home and family. What I'd give to be back in that closet bed right now."

Rika bolted upright at the sound of a loud roar and a splash. A Gesomon snarled, waving his tentacles and making to snatch Rika. The preteen curled up and used her arms to push herself up and out of danger.

"What in the DigiWorld do _you _want?" Rika snapped. Gesomon just roared again, shooting a tentacle down to grab Rika. The raven-haired girl managed to jump away. "Gesomon. Hot-tempered and like to fight. What kind of luck determined I would find one _now _of all times?" Rika made to draw her sword but Gesomon suddenly snatched her and yanked the girl into the air. She struggled and kicked, trying to break free while Gesomon just laughed evilly. _Of all the times for Wizardmon to not be here! _Rika mentally groaned, feeling like her ribs started to crack from Gesomon constricting her. _I have to figure something out! But I'm too tired. I can't just die here!_

Gesomon snarled in pain when something suddenly scratched him. The tentacle holding Rika loosened, and then a set of claws grabbed her under her arms and yanked the girl into the air. Rika couldn't look to see who saved her, but couldn't think about it for a moment because her rescuer threw her into the air. She flailed her arms, unable to see just how high up she flew. But she did hear someone shout _"Terra Destroyer!" _and she realized at once who saved her.

Gesomon hurried away as fast as he could, terrified of the black armored Digimon who attacked him. BlackWarGreymon looked up at a scream and held out his arms so Rika would fall into them. He remained floating in the air, his yellow eyes locked onto Rika's dark lavender ones.

_Those eyes…..they're similar in color as that tiny flower….. _BlackWarGreymon thought. _What does that mean? If it means anything at all._

"Hey BlackWarGreymon." Rika greeted, smiling softly.

BlackWarGreymon continued to stare. "Hello Child."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure this is the right place?" Mummymon asked. "It looks like a run-down old shack."<p>

"Though powerful, he is very humble and simple." Arukenimon said. "How foolish. He possesses enough power to live like a king, yet he chooses the life of a peasant."

"You think he'll help us?" Mummymon rubbed his cane a little nervously.

Arukenimon smirked. "I think with a little persuasion he won't be able to refuse."

Mummymon smirked too. "All right then! Let's do it!"

The two of them approached the hut and Mummymon morphed to his Digimon form, blowing the door down with his gun blasts. Inside, the two Ultimate Digimon blinked in surprise to find what looked like a standard living room: rug on the floor, bookshelves lining the walls, coffee table, and a comfy-looking easy chair next to a roaring fire in the fireplace. A figure sat in the easy chair, wearing a pair of reading glasses and contently reading a book. The figure wore grey shoes, maroon colored robes, and a cream-colored cowl and hood, draped around his shoulders and some of it flowing down his back. His grey hands made it difficult to determine if he wore gloves or not, but the sight of those long, sharp nails would make many nervous. Rather than a face, the figure's face was shrouded in blackness and a pair of glowing circles served as eyes.

"Wisemon." Arukenimon grinned darkly. "The Ultimate Level Digimon whose power easily mirrors his wisdom. It's an honor to meet someone like you."

Wisemon removed his reading glasses and looked to his "guests". "Do you have any idea how awkward it would've been if I was bathing right now? Imagine the embarrassment!"

Arukenimon and Mummymon stared at Wisemon, befuddled by his reaction to their entering here. But they shook it off and Mummymon glared at the magician Digimon. "We have a job for you! And you're going to do it or else!"

Wisemon calmly set his book and glasses on the coffee table before rising to his feet. "Oh how I wish you hadn't disturbed me. But because I am in a good mood at the moment, I will give you a chance to tell me what you think will happen if I don't obey you."

Arukenimon smirked evilly. She pulled her arm around from behind her back to reveal a Punimon, holding the trembling baby by its head. "I understand you can be very compassionate. Though foolish, this works greatly in our favor. If you do not do as we say, we will destroy this little Punimon. If you refuse even after we destroy him, we'll attack Primary Village and leave it in ruins." Wisemon didn't move for a moment, so Mummymon put the barrel of his gun to Punimon and caused the poor baby to whimper and begin crying.

Wisemon sniffed indignantly. "How cowardly. Threatening innocent lives to get what you want. Talk about acting like a couple children. You realize you could just as easily be bluffing? I'd be willing to bet you won't lay a hand on that child." Mummymon released the safety switch on his gun, making the Punimon cry louder. "Now, now, no need to lose thy temper. You're right; I would never let any harm come to an innocent. So even though I do not believe you will harm that baby, I shall do what you want." He raised his hand, causing Arukenimon and Mummymon to tense in case he attacked. But all Wisemon did was snap his fingers and in a flash of light, the living room area turned into a spell casting area. A couple tables stood on either side of the room, the bookshelves still lining the walls. A cauldron sat in the fireplace. Herbs and various other potion materials hung from the rafters and various potions sat on a bookshelf.

"Now, what shall it be?" Wisemon asked. "A potion for strength? A spell for thy enemies? Maybe a playful prank?"

"I need you to make a Digimon for me." Arukenimon said. "I have a lifeless Digimon I created from Control Spires."

"Oh, how resourceful of you." Wisemon nodded in thought.

Arukenimon rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, whatever. See, I used the Control Spires to create this Digimon but I did not give it life. I want you to give it life but make sure it obeys me. I want it to do everything I ask without question."

Wisemon nodded again in thought. "I suppose I could do that. Bring me this lifeless Digimon."

Mummymon walked off and returned with a Digimon colored in multiple shades of grey. "This is supposed to be a Wizardmon. You will give it life and immense power to combat another just like it."

Wisemon took the lifeless, grey Wizardmon from Mummymon and set him on one of the tables. Wisemon looked the Control Spire Digimon over, humming to himself in thought. "This will be most interesting. I will have to create a new heart for it and everything; he's nothing but a husk."

"I don't want him to have a heart." Arukenimon snapped. "If he has a heart he could turn against me. Give him life but no heart."

Wisemon stared at Arukenimon for a moment before using his magic to lift a nearby broom and whack the woman on the head. Before she could shout anything, Wisemon spoke as though what he said was obvious. "You foolish woman. If you wanted him to have life but no heart like those other Control Spire Digimon, you should've done it yourself." Arukenimon and Mummymon seemed very surprised that Wisemon knew about the other Control Spire Digimon, but the magician continued to speak. "If I am to bring life to this Digimon, I must give him a new Life Flame and therefore a heart. One cannot be made without the other. Nope, not at all. But, to appease you, I will give him a heart of ice. A heart so cold he will never know compassion or kindness."

Arukenimon thought for a moment, tapping her fingers on the Punimon baby's head. "Very well. Do it."

"Please do not disturb me while I work." Wisemon requested. "I will be done momentarily."

Mummymon, Arukenimon, and the captured Punimon watched, mesmerized, as Wisemon went to work; he walked briskly to and fro to gather ingredients, flipped through his spell books, sniffed herbs and potions before adding them to his cauldron, murmured under his breath. Every time he threw something into his cauldron, the liquid inside turned a different color. The evil Digimon watched expectantly as Wisemon stirred the cauldron's contents. Then, much to their horror, he lifted the spoon to what they assumed was his lips and took a sip.

Wisemon's eyes turned to what looked like upside-down smiles, indicating he grinned. "Oh! Delicious! Here, do try it!" Before Mummymon could protest, Wisemon stuffed a spoonful of the liquid into the undead Digimon's mouth.

Mummymon forcibly swallowed, preparing for the worst. Then, he licked his lips. "Yummy! That stuff's delicious!"

"It's an old soup recipe my mentor taught me." Wisemon said.

"Excuse me!" Arukenimon shouted. "But what does this have to do with giving life to my new servant?"

"Nothing really." Wisemon shrugged. "But one shouldn't cast spells on an empty stomach." He returned to his potions shelves and took down a bottle of purple liquid. He poured some of the liquid into a goblet of water and lifted a hand to inspect the white hair pinched between two fingers. Arukenimon gasped softly when she realized the hair was her own, but she couldn't think of how and when Wisemon took it. The magician Digimon dropped the hair into the goblet and set it aside. Then he approached the grey, lifeless Wizardmon husk and folded his hands at his chest. He muttered magical words under his breath, and his body became enveloped in a white glow that looked like flames. He pushed his hand into his chest and when he pulled it out again a white ball of fire floated in his palm: his own Life Flame. Wisemon pinched the fire ball and pulled away a piece of the white fire the size of a candle flame. Once he returned his Life Flame back inside him, Wisemon waved his free hand around the smaller white flame and spoke another spell. The flame seemed to solidify, like water turning to ice, and it turned a shade of pale blue. Wisemon took the solid, pale blue flame into his palms and pressed it into the grey Wizardmon husk's chest. In a flash, the husk became enveloped in a white light and began floating off the table. Everyone except Wisemon shielded their eyes from the glow. When it died down and the formerly lifeless Digimon floated to stand on the floor, Arukenimon, Mummymon, and the Punimon looked shocked while Wisemon seemed confused.

"What is this?" Arukenimon demanded, pointing at the now-living Wizardmon. Only he wasn't necessarily the right color. White replaced the cream color of his jumper and pale blue replaced the red. His gloves and boots were a darker shade of brown. The inside of his cape was still navy blue with strange white symbols, but the topside and his cowl was white. His hat was also white and missing the skull charm. He still had the same skull pin Wizardmon had pinned in his white cowl. Instead of a sun-topped staff, he held a metal grey rod the same length with a snowflake ornament on top. Even his eyes were a different color: pale periwinkle blue instead of dark jade green.

"Hmm." Wisemon said. "I guess _that's _what happens when you give someone a heart of ice."

"What did you do?!" Arukenimon demanded.

"Relax." Wisemon waved it off. "He's still a Wizardmon, he's just an icy, snowy variation of Wizardmon. His name is Sorcermon."

Arukenimon growled, but sighed in defeat. "Will he still obey me?"

"Oh sure." Wisemon suddenly caught Sorcermon when he began to fall. "Take it easy, son."

"W-where am I?" Sorcermon groaned as Wisemon led him to a chair.

"With your new master." Wisemon said. _I only hope you won't remain with her very long. _He took the goblet from the table nearby and handed it to Sorcermon. "Here. Drink this, and everything will fall into place." Sorcermon took the goblet and eagerly drank it down. When he finished, his body seized up and his eyes glowed red for a moment before returning to normal. The goblet dropped from his hand. Wisemon stepped back away from the ice wizard. "He's yours, Arukenimon. The potion I used requires something from the one who will control the victim. Sorcermon knows only you as his master."

Arukenimon looked to the white clothed Digimon. "Sorcermon, tell me: what is your purpose in life?"

Sorcermon stared at the ground for a moment, then his gaze hardened to a glare. "I only know to serve you, my mistress. Ask, and I will do as you command."

Arukenimon smirked evilly. "Well, I suppose even an ice version of Wizardmon is better than nothing."

"His power is unlike any others'." Wisemon assured. "He will do what you need."

Arukenimon turned to Wisemon. "Mummymon, now."

Mummymon smirked evilly and pulled the trigger on his gun, hitting the captured Punimon. Wisemon gasped in horror, but his terror turned to shock when Punimon's skin seemed to break off like a shell and revealed a Control Spire core. The fake Digimon dissolved to nothing.

"Truthfully, this Punimon was simply made from a piece of a Control Spire." Arukenimon said. "I knew you'd fall for it. Perhaps you're not as wise as we expected."

Wisemon glared at them. "Do not assume me to be a fool. _You_ are the real fools. The DigiDestined will defeat you."

Arukenimon sniffed indignantly. "You imbecile. Do you not realize what you did? You gave me the one thing that will defeat those little DigiDestined for good. I had hoped to fool them into thinking this was their friend, but this is even better. Only now, I must inform you that I cannot allow you to live any longer. After all, I can't let you go off and warn those little brats about this. I want it to be a surprise."

Wisemon glared. "Arrogance will be your downfall! _Eternal Nirvana!" _He summoned a red and yellow sphere in his hands and threw them towards the evil Digimon, but Mummymon fired his gun and the spheres exploded.

"That was a grave mistake on your part." Arukenimon said. "Sorcermon."

"Yes, my mistress?" Sorcermon asked obediently.

"That Wisemon insults me with his presence." Arukenimon said. "Destroy him."

Sorcermon stood and turned to Wisemon, who hardly moved. "Yes, my mistress. Any preference?"

"In the most painful way possible." Arukenimon chuckled darkly.

Sorcermon continue to stare at Wisemon. His eyes began to glow white, and Wisemon felt as though his very soul became ripped apart. He shouted in pain, bursts of white lightning shoot from his body. He continued to writhe in pain as Sorcermon's power literally began to tear him apart.

_I have fulfilled my purpose. _Wisemon thought. _Oh great legendary spirits who protect our world; look kindly upon me and let me be reconfigured to return to who I once was._

Five voices echoed in Wisemon's head as he died, and he smiled warmly.

_You have done well. Your wish will be granted._

Arukenimon and Mummymon smiled in satisfaction as Wisemon disintegrated. "Well done, Sorcermon." Arukenimon said.

Sorcermon turned to Arukenimon and Mummymon, kneeling down and bowing his head to them. "My mistress. I am at your service."

"I like you already." Arukenimon nodded in satisfaction. "For now, you have one job to do. If you accept it, then you must fulfill this responsibility or face terrible punishment. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my mistress." Sorcermon said, keeping his head down out of respect. "What is my task?"

Arukenimon smiled, chuckling evilly.

* * *

><p>"You stood so protectively over those two little Digimon when I first defeated them." BlackWarGreymon said. "Why? Did they ask you to? Did you owe them your life?"<p>

"No." Rika shook her head. "I just cared about them. It's one of the things that shows you have a heart."

BlackWarGreymon growled a little. "Please, can we not talk about hearts right now?"

Rika smiled. "Okay. We'll talk about whatever you want."

BlackWarGreymon and Rika sat on the beach next to the lake, both of them sitting with legs crossed and facing each other. Rika insisted they talk for a while like civil people after he rescued her, and for some reason BlackWarGreymon couldn't refuse. So they rested in the sand and talked about many things, excluding things like the DigiDestined, the Destiny Stones, or hearts. So far, the both of them shared pretty much the entirety of their pasts with each other.

"Don't you miss your family?" BlackWarGreymon asked. "I feel as though one would seek out company when they lose everything they hold dear."

"What makes you say that?" Rika asked.

"I'm not sure." BlackWarGreymon admitted. "I suppose just a guess."

"Well, I do miss my family." Rika nodded. "But sometimes I like to be alone. It helps me think. Besides, I wanted to find you and talk to you without the others with me."

"You don't want them to influence you." BlackWarGreymon guessed.

"Sort of." Rika nodded. "They wouldn't necessarily influence me, but I don't want to listen to them talk bad about you."

"Why do you care?" BlackWarGreymon asked. "What did I do to deserve your kindness?"

"Nothing specifically." Rika shrugged. "You just….." She thought for a moment. "I can't explain it. There's something in my gut that tells me I can trust you, so I do. I was taught that all creatures have good inside them, and I just want to find that good part of you and bring it out. I want to be your friend."

BlackWarGreymon sighed. "I am not capable of being a friend. I am a fighter, and I will always be that way."

"I'm a fighter too." Rika assured. "I use this sword an awful lot and I can be a little hot-tempered." She looked down. "It might be the reason my Crest chose me."

"Crest?" BlackWarGreymon blinked in confusion.

"This." Rika pulled out her tag and Crest and held it out for BlackWarGreymon to see. "All the DigiDestined have one, given to them usually based on a personality trait. Mine's the Crest of Darkness."

"Interesting." BlackWarGreymon mused. "Were you given the Crest because there is darkness and evil in your heart, then?"

"That's one theory." Rika said. "I'm not really sure though. I have yet to find someone who could give me the answers to my questions. Do _you _think I'm evil?"

"I cannot say." BlackWarGreymon said. "I don't even know what it means to be 'good' or 'evil'. Do you?"

"Hard to say." Rika said. "I think it's all based on perspective; what someone believes is good or evil. That means the terms vary from person to person. Let me ask you this: do you think yourself to be evil? Or do you believe there is goodness inside you?"

BlackWarGreymon stared at the sky, something Rika noticed he did a lot when he really thought about something. _I cannot answer such a question. _BlackWarGreymon thought. _If I cannot define 'good' and 'evil' for myself, how can I label myself as 'good' or 'evil'? This girl…..she brings out some sort of warmth that is unfamiliar to me. It makes me feel strange, yet somehow I do not mind. _"You should be getting home soon." The dark armored Digimon said as he stood up.

"Can we talk again tomorrow?" Rika requested. "We can meet right here."

BlackWarGreymon stared into Rika's eyes, and once again he felt compelled to please her. "Yes. We will meet here and talk again tomorrow. Now go home."

"I am home." Rika said, standing and brushing off her skirt.

"What?" BlackWarGreymon asked.

"I live in the Digital World." Rika clarified. "I'll probably spend tonight in a tree or something."

_All alone? Is she insane? _BlackWarGreymon stared after Rika as the raven-haired girl departed with a wave. But after about a minute of walking, Rika heard heavy footsteps and realized BlackWarGreymon followed her.

"I will accompany you." BlackWarGreymon said. "I will stay with you tonight."

"You don't have to do that." Rika said.

"I want to." BlackWarGreymon snapped. "So I will."

Rika stared for a moment, then smiled warmly. "Okay. Then let's go. I think there's a nice oak tree or a cave we can stay in nearby."

BlackWarGreymon followed the girl as they walked through the trees. _Why do I feel like this when I'm around this child? Could this girl have the answers I search for? Does she know of another destiny for me? After I destroy the Destiny Stones…does she know my path beyond that?_

* * *

><p>Kari and Gatomon watched from nearby as Wizardmon used a payphone. Twilight settled over Tokyo, giving a peaceful atmosphere to the otherwise agitated trio of DigiDestined. Rika had been gone an entire week, and Wizardmon found he just couldn't sit still knowing she was off alone. Though he, Kari, and Gatomon searched for her, they never found a trace. The rest of the DigiDestined neglected to join them, with the exception of Ken and Wormmon. At the moment, it was unclear on the reasons behind the others' decisions to not help. Save for T.K., whom everyone knew he was still mad at Rika.<p>

Wizardmon tapped the phone box nervously, listening to the phone ringing. "Come on…come on…..pick up…."

"_Hey, it's Rika. Can't come to the D-terminal right now, probably fighting another evil Digimon or hanging with my friends. Leave a message!"_

Wizardmon sighed. "Hey Rika. It's Wizardmon. Again. I'm sure I've left numerous messages on your D-terminal, but I really need to get in touch with you. Don't call me back on this number; I'm using a payphone. But you have Kari's number and the Kamiya's number and Tai's number and Ken's number….uh, I'm sure you can email any of the DigiDestined so you could do that. Just…you know, find some way to get in touch with _someone_ because we need to talk. Not that I'm worried about you, just that I would like to know you're okay. Even if you send an email and say 'I'm okay' that would be great." He stumbled over his words, hardly aware of his rambling. "Just try and get in touch with someone because I need some shred of evidence that you're doing all right. You know how nervous I get and I need you to contact me because I—"

The phone beeped, indicating his ran out of message time, and Wizardmon's hand trembled as he gripped the phone. He slammed it down back on the box, hanging up forcibly and growling under his breath. He turned on his heel and marched from the phone box, running his fingers through his hair. In anger and a little desperation, Wizardmon whipped around and shouted _"Thunder Ball!" _Twin spheres of energy shot from his palms and collided with the phone box, making it explode. Kari and Gatomon jumped, then quickly steered Wizardmon away from the carnage.

"It's okay." Kari soothed as they sat in her room that night. "I'm sure Rika will contact us when she's ready." Wizardmon didn't answer, lying back on Kari's bed and staring at the ceiling. Kari sighed. "I blame myself; I wanted Rika to stay but I never said anything. I don't know why; maybe I was scared of what others would think of me. Even if I did say something, she probably wouldn't have stayed."

Wizardmon sat up and stared at Kari. "Don't blame yourself. Arguments happen. I just worry about Rika, that's all. Like I said, the job to protect her was given to me, I didn't choose it. Not only that, I just don't want her to get hurt. She once ran away like this before and I almost lost her." He sighed. "Losing Rika's family was one of the worst nights of my life. I don't know what I'm supposed to do if I lose her too."

"I know how you feel. I would be crushed if something happened to Kari. But we'll find Rika." Gatomon assured. "Tomorrow we'll go to the Digital World and keep searching for her."

"I'll email Ken and see if he and Wormmon want to help." Kari said, picking up her D-terminal.

"No." Wizardmon said firmly, making Kari and Gatomon stare at him in confusion. "Email _all _the DigiDestined. Not the original, just the second generation. Tell them we're going to meet at Primary Village but don't mention Rika."

Kari seemed confused, but obeyed. "Do I even want to know what you're planning?"

"Nope." Wizardmon shook his head.

* * *

><p>"Sorry we're late!" Davis called as he and Veemon jogged up to the others.<p>

"We sort of expected it." Cody said.

"Okay everyone!" Kari called them all to attention. "Wizardmon's the one who called us all here, and now that we've gathered we can hear what he wants." The DigiDestined, human and Digimon alike, turned and faced the wizard Digimon. They all knew he tended to keep a permanent glare in his eyes, but none of them liked the way he glared today.

"I'm going to get right to the point, and if any of you argue with me I'll barbecue you." Wizardmon said. "I told Kari to gather you all here because we're going to search for Rika and you're all going to apologize to her."

"Say what?" Davis's jaw dropped. "Why do you think we'd—" Wizardmon tapped his staff on the ground and electricity shot over and zapped Davis. Everyone jumped as Davis's eye twitched, covered head-to-toe in ash and his hair standing up more than usual.

"Perhaps you didn't hear me when I mentioned _barbecuing_ you." Wizardmon snapped. "Each and every one of you owe her an apology."

"Doesn't _she _owe _us _an apology for what she did?" T.K. demanded. "She stopped us from defeating BlackWarGreymon. She forced you—ow!" T.K. rubbed his head where Wizardmon whacked him with his staff.

"Your anger blinds you." Wizardmon growled. "Nobody forces me to do _anything. _I used to admire the DigiDestined because I believed them to be great warriors. Okay, so when I first met you guys I couldn't believe you were a bunch of kids. But you fought bravely and helped make your Digimon partners great fighters. No matter what happened, you always stuck together before. Why is this time different? Because someone made a decision you disagreed with? Remember when that Golemon almost broke a dam and came close to destroying a city? Davis wanted to destroy him, but most of you disagreed, such as Yolei."

"But he ended up being a Control Spire Digimon." Davis protested. "He was never real. Plus, the fate of the world didn't depend on his defeat."

"You guys aren't being fair." Ken said, catching everyone's attention. "Rika did what she felt was right. She believes there is good in BlackWarGreymon and you know what? She's right." He looked to Wizardmon. "All creatures have good in them. Origins have nothing to do with it. If we show BlackWarGreymon kindness maybe he will show it in return. He does need to be stopped, but we have to work together as a team or we'll end up destroying each other."

"I agree too." Gatomon said. "T.K., Patamon, don't you remember how I used to work for Myotismon? I was nasty and evil. None of you should've trusted me, but you gave me a chance when we discovered I was the Eighth Digimon. Besides, I like Rika. I miss her a lot. She's a member of our team, our family, and I won't lose someone else I care about."

"That goes for me too." Kari nodded. "Rika's practically my sister. We are twins in a sense, after all."

"I'm with you guys." Yolei said. "I never wanted Rika to leave; I was just too afraid to speak up before. I didn't know what to think then, but now I'm positive I want her back."

"Ditto!" Hawkmon piped up.

Cody looked down, and Armadillomon's eyes met his. The young boy smiled. "I miss Rika. She used to take care of all of us when we came to the Digital World; watching over us like a mother. Sure, she's a little rough around the edges and she made a few decisions we didn't like. But that doesn't mean she doesn't care about us anymore." The Digimon voiced their agreements, making Wizardmon smile a little. Everyone looked towards Davis and T.K., the only ones who hadn't spoken.

Veemon tapped Davis's leg. "Davis? Don't you miss Rika?"

Davis thought for a moment. "I don't know. She _is _pretty cool. She's a great fighter and she's really helped us win a lot of fights." He smiled. "Yeah. I guess I miss having her on the team."

Patamon rested on T.K.'s head. "T.K.? Can you be friends with Rika again? Please? I know you still like her."

T.K. looked down. "Maybe…I don't know…..I mean, maybe I did overreact a little."

"You're a team. You're supposed to work together. No matter what kind of arguments you get into or how many you have, you're still friends at the end of the day." Wizardmon said. "But I want to make one thing clear: I'm willing to bet that Rika spent some time looking for BlackWarGreymon. She may have even found him, or he found her." He looked at each DigiDestined in turn. "This mission will be to find Rika and bring her home. If she _has _found BlackWarGreymon, we are not to attack him. We simply get Rika and go home, nothing more nothing less. If you cannot agree with that plan, go home _now._"

The kids exchanged looks, going silent for a long moment. "I'm with you Wizardmon." Gatomon said, standing by her friend's side. "You know that. I want Rika back to fight by our side."

"Me too." Kari nodded.

"Count us in." Wormmon said as he and Ken joined in.

"I'm in!" Yolei called.

"I as well." Hawkmon nodded.

"I'll definitely help." Cody said.

"Me too." Armadillomon agreed.

"Yeah, why not?" Davis shrugged.

"I wanna come!" Veemon cheered.

"I'll help." Patamon offered. "T.K., will you help?"

T.K. looked down for a while. "Well…..yeah. Yeah, I'm in. Let's find Rika and bring her home."

Wizardmon smiled. "Then let's get started."

So they began their search. The Digimon Armor Digivolved and their human partners rode them. Then they split up to cover more ground. Wizardmon stayed with Kari and Nefertimon, flying about the skies and scanning the forest area, where Wizardmon said Rika used to love to hang out. But even when they searched in every tree twice, they didn't find any trace of the girl. Wizardmon couldn't pick up anything from searching for Rika's aura or Life Flame. The other DigiDestined fared no better, scouring their areas only to come up with nothing. Cody, Yolei, Davis, and their Digimon asked around some of the nearby villages and cities if they saw Rika, but no one reported seeing her. It seemed as though the bespectacled DigiDestined of Darkness disappeared off the face of the DigiWorld. But they wouldn't give up yet.

Mostly because Wizardmon wouldn't let them.

He did prove an excellent point. Despite their anger, Rika was still a member of their team and a DigiDestined no matter what happened. Nothing could change that. Still, T.K. didn't feel completely confident about it. He tried to think about it, but he only hurt his head doing that.

_I'm not sure what to think about Rika yet. _T.K. thought as Pegasusmon continued to fly. _But I do know that I won't find anything until I can talk to her. I have to find her. Somehow we need to talk to each other without fighting. How is it we're such opposites…and I'm just realizing it now?_

* * *

><p>Rika sighed in happiness, leaning her head back so the late afternoon sun hit her face. "Wow. For some reason I seemed to forget how tall you stood. You have quite a view up here even when you're not flying."<p>

BlackWarGreymon cast a glance at Rika, currently sitting on his shoulder while he walked. "I suppose so. I usually prefer to fly."

"Why's that?" Rika asked.

The dark armored Digimon thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. It gets me places faster. Sometimes I feel this great surge of….satisfaction when I fly."

"It's like your heart is soaring when you fly." Rika guessed, smiling at the skies. "Wizardmon flies around all the time, sometimes carrying me to share the experience. It was always wonderful."

"You felt your heart…..soared?" BlackWarGreymon said slowly.

"Yep!" Rika nodded. "It's kind of a human saying. It means I enjoyed it a lot. You probably feel the same way when you fly. At least, that's what I'm guessing based on what you said." Her smile shrunk a little and she turned her head from BlackWarGreymon. "I'm sorry. You asked to not talk about hearts and whatnot. I'll stop talking about it. What should we talk about?"

"Actually, I do want to ask you something." BlackWarGreymon said. "It's something I asked another but he could not give me a clear answer. If you are so certain you have a heart, where is it?"

Rika cocked her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"When I asked another this same question, he didn't know if it was in his chest or his head." BlackWarGreymon explained. "Where is the heart located in the body?"

Rika thought for a moment. "Well, I think there are actually two answers because I believe there are two hearts. First, there's the physical heart. It pumps blood through you and helps give life. The physical heart's location varies depending on the creature. In humans' cases, our hearts are located in the chest, right here." She put a hand over her left breast. Then she climbed over to BlackWarGreymon's other shoulder, patting the left side of his chest. "I think you're physical heart is in a similar place. Right here."

BlackWarGreymon reached a clawed hand up and touched the place Rika pointed to. "Here? Really?"

"Well, maybe your physical heart." Rika said. "The other kind of heard is what I like to call your spiritual heart. It's what reacts when you feel something like sadness or joy or even anger."

"Feelings?" BlackWarGreymon repeated. "Well where is the spiritual heart located?"

"All over." Rika replied. "It exists within your whole body and soul. I like to think it's kind of like your Life Flame."

"Life Flame?" BlackWarGreymon asked. "What is that?"

"Oh Wizardmon taught me that!" Rika said. "All living creatures, humans and Digimon alike, have what's called a Life Flame, which gives them life. It's a flame only snuffed out by death. Surrounding the Life Flame is the physical body, acting as a host for the flame. Then there's the aura, which is like energy the Life Flame gives off. Strong emotions, getting weaker or stronger, or any number of things affect the aura's strength."

"You say only living creatures have this Life Flame you speak of?" BlackWarGreymon asked. "So because I am not a real Digimon, I do not have one."

"I wouldn't say that." Rika said. "Can I tell you a secret?" BlackWarGreymon stopped walking and stared at Rika, as though allowing her. "Wizardmon, my Digimon partner, can sense auras and Life Flames. And you know what? He sensed a Life Flame within you. It's small, like a little spark, but it's still there. He thinks you've actually developed life."

BlackWarGreymon looked ahead, avoiding eye contact with Rika. Finally, he reached up and took Rika in his claws, gently setting her on the ground. He stepped past her.

"Hey, where are you going?" Rika asked.

"I'm sorry." BlackWarGreymon said. "It's simply not possible for your words to be true. Not in my case."

Rika glared hard, running after the black armored Digimon and somehow matching his pace. "Hey! I'm tired of you putting yourself down! Why can't you accept the possibility of having a heart?"

"I know my destiny, Child. And it does not include a heart." BlackWarGreymon said.

"That's a load of Bullmon and you know it!" Rika snapped. "Why do you shut out this hope for a better path? A path that could actually earn you more friends; one that could help the DigiDestined stop fighting you! Why do you run away from something that could help you?"

"You are ignorant, Child." BlackWarGreymon growled. "Now leave me in peace."

"What are you so afraid of you coward?!" Rika shouted.

BlackWarGreymon finally stopped and turned to the preteen. "I fear _nothing_."

"Then why do you shy away from me?" Rika demanded. "Why do you reject something that offers a better path?"

"How can you be sure the path you know is a better path?" BlackWarGreymon demanded.

"Honestly, I don't know!" Rika admitted.

"Then why suggest it?!" BlackWarGreymon shouted.

"Because I care about you!" Rika screamed. "Can't you see that? I want to help you but I don't know how because you won't let me!"

"I didn't ask for your help!" BlackWarGreymon snapped. "I never wanted you to be my friend."

Rika glared hard, taking one of BlackWarGreymon's claws in her much smaller hand. "But I want _you _to be _my _friend. I like you." Her glare softened. "Please. Give me a chance. Let me be your friend."

BlackWarGreymon glared at the ground, then growled. _No…no, I can't….to be her friend…she's still in alliance with those children….they'll stop me….they don't want me to destroy the Destiny Stones….but I have no choice….I must destroy the Stones…it's my destiny…..but they'll stop me…they can't stop me! _"NO!" He suddenly shoved Rika to the ground. She yelped in pain, lying on the ground and staring at BlackWarGreymon. The black armored Digimon stared at the girl, realizing what he just did. _I hurt her…..but why do I seem to feel remorseful? Why do I care? _BlackWarGreymon stepped towards Rika. "Child….." He extended a clawed hand towards her. Rika moved her hand to accept it, when…

"_Desperado Blaster!"_

The two of them flinched, Rika screaming in shock. When the blue laser bullets stopped raining down on them, BlackWarGreymon and Rika turned to see Ken, Davis, Paildramon, T.K., Angemon, Yolei, and Aquilamon approaching them. The Digimon moved faster, ready to attack. Rika's eyes widened and she jumped to her feet.

"No!" she cried. "Don't!" She jumped between the oncoming Digimon and BlackWarGreymon. Paildramon's claws shot forward but he didn't have time to change directions. Rika gritted her teeth in pain as one of the sharp claws scratched her arm. BlackWarGreymon's eyes narrowed. _No! _He pushed Rika aside and shot up towards Paildramon, tackling the hybrid Digimon.

"Rika!" Davis called as the humans ran to their fallen friend.

"Are you okay?" Yolei asked worriedly.

"I'm fine!" Rika pushed their hands away. "Call off the Digimon!"

"Are you crazy?" T.K. snapped. Rika glared and suddenly shoved T.K. aside. She drew her sword and charged into battle, leaping up to attack Paildramon. "She's lost it!" T.K. gasped.

"Rika, stop it!" Angemon tried to stop Rika but she slashed her sword and almost took his head off.

"Guys, we were supposed to just save Rika and run." Yolei said. "Remember what Wizardmon said?"

"BlackWarGreymon could've killed Rika if it weren't for us." T.K. said. "We're gonna take him down once and for all!"

_I should've known he'd do something like this. _Ken thought. "I'm calling the others." He pulled out his D-terminal and quickly typed out a message.

* * *

><p>Kari pulled out her D-terminal and gasped at the message. "They found Rika! But they say she was being attacked by BlackWarGreymon and now they're fighting him!"<p>

"Who's 'they'?" Nefertimon asked.

"I'll give you one hint as to whose idea it was." Wizardmon growled. _How is it T.K.'s heart is swayed so easily towards darkness and evil when he's near BlackWarGreymon? _"Come on! We have to find them!"

"I'll let them know we're on our way!" Kari said. "Nefertimon! You gotta fly over there!"

"Let's go, Wizardmon!" Nefertimon urged, and they took off as fast as they could.

* * *

><p>Angemon used his staff to block another attack from Rika while Paildramon and Aquilamon continued to battle with BlackWarGreymon. The angel Digimon became surprised again and again whenever Rika landed a blow down, sometimes kicking and punching him.<p>

"Rika, you must stop this!" Angemon demanded.

"I don't see why I should obey you." Rika growled.

"I don't want to hurt you." Angemon said.

"Then stop fighting BlackWarGreymon." Rika ordered.

"He was about to kill you!" Angemon snapped.

"No he wasn't!" Rika protested. She turned to the other fight and broke away from her battle with Angemon. She leaped up and ran up Aquilamon's back, jumping off his head and landing on Paildramon's shoulders. She sheathed her sword and suddenly covered Paildramon's eyes, causing him to wave and jump around trying to get her off.

"Hey I can't see!" Paildramon complained. "Get off me, Rika!"

"Only if you stop fighting!" Rika snapped.

"You've lost it!" Paildramon snapped. "You would've gotten hurt if it weren't for us!"

"Shows what you know you idiot!" Rika growled. She yelped a little when Aquilamon suddenly grabbed her in his talons, gently carrying her over to the other humans.

He plopped her on the ground, much to her annoyance. "Just stay here and you'll be safe." He returned to the battle.

"Just stop fighting him!" Rika jumped to her feet to run back in the fight, but Ken and Yolei held her back.

"Rika, don't!" Ken pleaded. "You'll get hurt!"

"Call off your Digimon." Rika ordered.

"Rika, we can't." T.K. said.

"I never even asked you! It was an order, now do it!" Rika shouted.

"Rika!"

They all turned as the rest of the DigiDestined joined them. Wizardmon immediately came over to Rika, Kari hugging her friend and sighing in relief.

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" Wizardmon said firmly. "You could've at least sent an email or something!"

"I'm sorry." Rika said. "I really am. But we have more important things to worry about!" She looked to the fight with BlackWarGreymon.

"Everyone call your Digimon back!" Wizardmon ordered. "We have what we came for, now let's go!"

"Not a chance." Davis said.

"We have the chance to beat him now, so let's do it!" T.K. growled.

"T.K., the job was to get Rika and get out!" Wizardmon snapped. "Didn't I tell you if you weren't with me you were to go home?"

"Wizardmon, you don't understand." T.K. snapped back. "He's our enemy, so we have to destroy him!"

"Is that why you agreed to come and help search?" Wizardmon growled. "To find BlackWarGreymon and destroy him?"

"So what if it was?" T.K. huffed. "It's none of your concern."

Aquilamon hit the ground when BlackWarGreymon kicked him aside. "Nefertimon! We have to DNA Digivolve!"

"No." Nefertimon said firmly. "We had one simple job to do: bring Rika home. So that's all we're going to do."

_They came here just for me? _Rika thought. She glared when she saw Aquilamon and Digmon running in to join the fight. _Those liars. They just wanted to use me to get to BlackWarGreymon. _"I didn't ask you to come after me! I _liked _to be alone!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" T.K. shouted.

"Like I care what you think!" Rika shouted back, the two quarreling preteens standing mere feet away from each other.

"You needed our help, Rika!" Davis said.

"What made you think that?" Cody asked.

"Even though BlackWarGreymon attacked her, you disobeyed Wizardmon's orders!" Yolei said.

"I wasn't being attacked!" Rika shouted.

"Yes you were!" Davis insisted.

"We saw you get pushed to the ground." Yolei said.

"It wasn't intentional!" Rika snarled.

"You're just saying that because you're delusional!" T.K. snapped.

The quarrelling continued. The Digimon kept fighting BlackWarGreymon. Nefertimon, Wizardmon, Ken, and Kari seemed the only ones left out as they stared at the discord, unsure what to do.

"I knew I should've come alone." Wizardmon sighed. "This never would've happened."

"Well it happened." Nefertimon said. "Now we just have to stop it. But how do we get the others to stop fighting and retreat? Especially T.K.?"

"It's Arukenimon and Mummymon!" Kari gasped. The four of them turned to see the spider woman and undead Digimon indeed arrived, currently fighting the other Digimon.

"When did _they _get here?" Ken breathed.

"It doesn't really matter." Wizardmon said. "We have to help the others. Nefertimon, you want to help? We can take down Arukenimon and Mummymon; then we'll round up everyone and get out of here."

"Sounds like a plan." Nefertimon nodded. "Kari. You and Ken stay here."

"Right." Kari nodded.

"Shouldn't you Armor Digivolve too, Wizardmon?" Ken asked.

"I won't get in the middle of that scrap." Wizardmon said, jerking his head towards the quarrelling preteens. He and Nefertimon shot off into the fight, the latter going for Arukenimon and the former to Mummymon. Kari and Ken watched as the three battles raged on: Arukenimon and Mummymon vs. Wizardmon and Nefertimon, the DigiDestined Digimon vs. BlackWarGreymon, and their own friends against each other. The DigiDestined of Light and Kindness didn't have the slightest clue as to what they could do at the moment. They would be of no use in Digimon battle, and they didn't necessarily want to get into the human battle. They could only stand and watch as the chaos raged around them.

"_Rosetta Stone!" "Spider Thread!"_

"You should've just left me alone!" Rika shouted. "I don't need you! I never needed you!"

"_Desperado Blaster!" "Blast Rings!" "Black Tornado!"_

"May I remind you that _you _came to _us_ when we first met?" T.K. countered. "Maybe we don't even want you around!"

"_Magical Game!" "Snake Bandage!"_

"You invited me to join you!" Rika said. "I guess you forgot about that while you're up on your high and mighty horse!"

"_Gold Rush!" "Hand of Fate!" "Black Tornado!"_

"Just stop it, both of you!" Yolei ordered.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Rika shouted.

"We're just trying to help you!" Cody insisted.

"No you're not! You're all against me!" Rika cried.

"We have to stop this." Kari said, a whimper in her tone.

"Yeah, but how?" Ken asked. "We try and get in there who knows what'll happen."

"So we're just supposed to sit here?" Kari asked.

"Until something happens that changes the tide." Ken confirmed.

Something did happen. BlackWarGreymon finally unleashed his Terra Destroyer in full power, and everyone shielded their eyes from the bright light. Arukenimon and Mummymon barely managed to leap out of the way while Wizardmon and Nefertimon became caught in the blast. When the dust settled, the Digimon lay motionless on the ground in their lower forms as Chibomon, Leafmon, Armadillomon, Hawkmon, Gatomon, and Patamon. Wizardmon moaned a little as he pushed himself upright. BlackWarGreymon towered over his fallen opponents, staring at each one in turn. Arukenimon and Mummymon landed behind the black armored Digimon.

"We have to get out of here!" Ken urged.

"You guys take your Digimon and I'll distract them." Rika said.

"Why?" T.K. demanded. "So you can join Arukenimon and Mummymon like you want to?"

"How could you say that?" Rika snapped. "You really think I'm evil, don't you?"

"If the boot fits!" T.K. growled. "You aren't the nicest person in the world."

"They're _still _fighting?" Ken gasped.

"Look at it, Mummymon." Arukenimon chuckled darkly. "Such chaos and anger among those pathetic humans. They don't even realize we're still here."

"Which will make destroying their Digimon all the more fun." Mummymon said.

"How right you are. Destroy them, BlackWarGreymon." Arukenimon ordered.

BlackWarGreymon stared down at the defeated Digimon. His eyes focused on Wizardmon lastly, who returned his gaze with a fiery glare. _So _you _are Wizardmon. The one who senses Life Flames…the one who sensed it in me._ "I don't see why I should."

"Because we ordered it!" Mummymon growled.

"I don't follow your orders." BlackWarGreymon growled, turning on his heel and walking away.

"That fool." Arukenimon growled. "No matter; we'll deal with these pests ourselves." She advanced towards a fallen Gatomon. "First I want to skin this little fur ball for messing up my beautiful hair."

Wizardmon, even though he stumbled a bit, ran forward and jumped between Gatomon and the evil Digimon. "You will not harm her. Or any of them!"

"Oh you pathetic creature." Arukenimon laughed. "You think you actually stand a chance against us? We're Ultimate Level Digimon and you're weak from the battle. You won't be able to Digivolve because your precious human partner won't help you."

"If you hurt them," Wizardmon growled, holding his staff in a tight grip. "I'll kill you."

"You will try!" Mummymon launched a blast from his gun, but Wizardmon threw an Electro Squall and met the white laser halfway. But when Wizardmon ran forward to attack them, Arukenimon used her Spider Thread to smack him aside. Mummymon used his Snake Bandage to grab Wizardmon and slam him repeatedly into the ground. Wizardmon pushed himself to his feet, running into battle again but continuously beaten down. Despite receiving many blows, the Majin refused to give in.

"We have to do something!" Kari gasped. "They're going to destroy Wizardmon and the other Digimon!"

"What we need to do is run! I'm going to talk to the others!" Ken ran off to the quarrelling preteens, but his words soon became drowned out by their shouts; very soon, he too joined in the fighting.

_I'm all alone. _Kari thought, watching with terrified eyes as Wizardmon received blow after blow. He shouted in pain, but kept throwing attacks in the hopes of landing one. _Wizardmon…somehow I forget how brave you are. You don't give up when things seem bad. You always kept a level head. You protected me, you protected everyone, just because you cared. _She winced as Wizardmon was once again thrown into the dirt. She gasped when Mummymon shot him with a laser blast and Wizardmon shouted in pain at the electrocution. _I can't stand it! I have to do something! I won't let my friends get hurt!_

Wizardmon struggled to push himself upright, panting heavily. Mummymon and Arukenimon stood above him, smirking evilly. "You foolish, useless Digimon." Arukenimon laughed. "Did you really believe you could defeat us?" Mummymon raised his gun, positioning the barrel towards Gatomon, who just begun to rise.

Wizardmon glared at them and, despite his entire body in pain, lunged over to Gatomon and scooped her up to protectively hold her in his arms. "I won't let you hurt them."

"Aw, sentiments." Mummymon chuckled darkly. "How disgustingly sweet. Do you really believe any of these Digimon would stand by you as you stand by them? You're the DigiDestined of Darkness's partner. Nothing can change that." Wizardmon only glared hard, and Gatomon matched his furious gaze.

"I think it's time to really blow you two away." Arukenimon said. _"Acid Mist!" _The green smoke flew towards Wizardmon and Gatomon.

"Say goodbye!" Mummymon laughed as he launched the white blast from his gun. The laser ignited the Acid Mist, and then the explosion came. Wizardmon held Gatomon close, closing his eyes and preparing for the blow.

"_NO!"_

* * *

><p><em>Kari and Gatomon prepared for the fatal blow, but a flash cream color and navy blue shot past them and suddenly Wizardmon appeared between them and the Grisly Wing. Their eyes widened as the attack left much damage on their friend. Hardly a sound came from his mouth, too shocked or in pain to speak or scream. Then, when the attack died to nothing, Wizardmon began tilting backwards like a recently chopped tree. He fell down and hit the concrete, still not saying a word. He lay there, motionless, while the shock from the attack kept Kari and Gatomon from running to his side for a long, tense moment.<em>

* * *

><p>Only now, in the present, the eight-year-old Kari was replaced by a terrified Wizardmon, and the brave Wizardmon was replaced by a preteen Kari. The brunette lay very still on the ground, her eyes closed and her body and clothes covered in scorch marks. Her outburst and courageous act finally stopped the arguing amongst the other humans, and they stared in horror at their fallen friend.<p>

"Kari…" Ken breathed. "Why?"

"Kari!" Gatomon screamed.

"Kari!" Wizardmon cried as he and Gatomon hurried to the girl. The Majin lifted her into his arms, but she remained limp and lifeless. "Kari! Kari wake up! Come on Kari don't die! You can't die!"

"Kari, please don't leave me!" Gatomon sobbed, shaking her partner's shoulder. "Don't die!"

Rika stared at Kari, her twin, and she felt a tidal wave of negative emotions in her chest. She felt a power grow within her. "Kari….."

"Arukenimon, Mummymon!" T.K. shouted. "You're going to regret that!"

"Oh really?" Arukenimon laughed. "You think you can beat us without your Digimon?"

"Just watch us!" T.K. snapped.

"T.K." Rika spoke up.

"Not a word out of you!" T.K. shouted. "If it weren't for you this would never—" Everyone jumped when Rika punched him again, this time in the stomach. The blonde boy fell to his knees, hugging his stomach and coughing to get air back into his lungs. The DigiDestined, humans and the now-conscious Digimon, stared at Rika. Even Arukenimon and Mummymon paused to gaze at the raven haired girl in shock, who now began to almost glow with a dark light around her body.

"I may have been the reason you came here," Rika growled. "But _you _were the ones who chose to come and cause trouble. It was _you _who caused the fight. It is _your _fault this happened. I never asked you to come after me. You clearly didn't want me around. So why come, if not to fight BlackWarGreymon and fulfill your selfish needs?"

"We were worried about you." Cody said timidly.

"_No you weren't!" _Rika screamed, and she suddenly blasted black fire from her palms. The other kids ducked and jumped to avoid it, flabbergasted by this new power within the human girl. "Don't lie to me! You hate me! You all hate me and don't want me to be a part of your group! Well then I won't! Because I hate all of you too! Why would I care about such selfish and cruel people? You never trusted me; not since the moment you discovered I carried the Crest of Darkness. Well guess what? This is who I am." The black aura grew around her. "I am the DigiDestined of Darkness. Nothing can change that. I reject you all and I will never join you again!" She whipped around to Arukenimon and Mummymon, who suddenly seemed very nervous at the thought of her attacking them. But they stood their ground, either out of bravery or just plain stubbornness. "And as for you two. You struck down the only DigiDestined who actually became my friend, almost like my sister. Your actions are unforgiveable. Guess what, Arukenimon? You're not the only one who can create Mega Level Digimon." Rika pulled out her Digivice, holding it up and ready. "I have the powers of darkness on my side. And with these powers I'll bring forth a Digimon to destroy you once and for all!" She pointed her Digivice to her Digimon partner. "Wizardmon! I order you to Digivolve to Mega!"

T.K.'s eyes widened. _This is like when Tai tried to force Greymon to Digivolve! And he turned into SkullGreymon! He turned into a monster! _His gaze shifted to Wizardmon, still holding Kari close and in a completely desolate state. No doubt a range of negative, dark emotions plagued him now. _Oh no! Wizardmon! _"Rika, no! Don't do it!"

Too late. The dark aura around Rika shot up into the air and shot right for Wizardmon. The Majin's eyes had been closed for a while, but now they opened as he glared at Arukenimon and Mummymon. Gatomon jumped when she saw his eyes with no whites, irises, or pupils; only pure blackness. The white cat hurriedly pulled Kari a few feet away as the dark aura surrounded Wizardmon, covering him completely in blackness so he couldn't be seen. The column of black churned like a twister, stretching to the skies and somehow darkening them.

About a mile away, BlackWarGreymon suddenly felt a huge surge of power and whipped around to see the tornado of darkness. "Child!" he gasped.

Everyone stared in shock, and the Digimon hurriedly returned to their human partners. They stared as the twisting black column grew in diameter. Only Rika seemed pleased. "Yes! Digivolve to Mega and destroy them!"

Finally, the skies brightened so the early evening sun shone through. The column of darkness disappeared, and a new Digimon stood in Wizardmon's place. Everyone stared in horror at this much larger Digimon, even Rika when she saw it.

A white tiger with navy blue stripes stood before them, the top of his head at least two stories high, if not higher. His yellow claws and two rows of teeth looks sharp as knives, and the fur under his chin seemed to hang down like water about to drip down. His long white tail flicked back and forth, without stripes. His eyes held no kindness, pure white with only a red dot serving for a pupil and an iris. The large white tiger roared loudly, causing them to all jump in fear.

"What _is _that thing?" Davis whimpered.

"It's the Darkness Mode of Splashmon, also known as Dark Splashmon!" Patamon gulped. "He's mean and nasty and if his water attacks don't destroy you his razor sharp teeth and claws will!"

"But that doesn't make sense!" Leafmon said. "Wizardmon's not a water type Digimon."

"It doesn't make sense he'd Digivolve to that form, either." Patamon said. "Wizardmon's a kind spirit, but Dark Splashmon is mean and nasty!"

"Rika?" Ken asked, approaching the mentioned girl.

Rika kept staring at Dark Splashmon, her eyes wide and the glow around her finally dying down to nothing. "That's…..his Mega form?"

Dark Splashmon roared again, lunging for Arukenimon and Mummymon. "I'm not afraid of that overgrown kitty cat!" Mummymon growled. He fired his gun, but much to his shock the blast bounced off Dark Splashmon and he hardly reacted.

"You idiot!" Arukenimon snapped. "Watch how it's done! _Acid Mist!" _But once again, Dark Splashmon didn't react at all, and the two Ultimate Digimon jumped away just before he could slice them in half with his claws. He continued to swipe and snap his jaws, trying to catch the two evil Digimon. Arukenimon and Mummymon desperately tried to lay down a blow, but nothing they did affected the larger Digimon.

"Arukenimon, dearest!" Mummymon whimpered as Dark Splashmon's teeth almost took his head off. "Might I suggest a tactful retreat?"

"For once you have a point." Arukenimon said regretfully. She looked to the DigiDestined. "Don't think you've won yet! Just wait until you feel the power of my newest creation!" She and Mummymon disappeared, using an Acid Mist attack to cover them. _Where was Sorcermon when we needed him? _Arukenimon growled a little as Mummymon drove the car as fast as it would go. _No matter. He will find them soon enough and then those little kiddies will be out of my hair._

Dark Splashmon roared, as though angry his prey escaped. "Well, I guess it's over." Davis said. "Now what do we do?"

"We need to find a way to get Dark Splashmon back down to Wizardmon or Impmon." Yolei said. "There's no way we'll be able to get him to the Real World like that."

"Watch out!" Ken shouted as Dark Splashmon lunged for them. The kids and their Digimon scattered, narrowly avoiding the giant tiger's claws. Ken and Leafmon hurried to Gatomon and Kari, ready to protect the brunette. Everyone else scrambled around as Dark Splashmon continued to lunge for them. His teeth narrowly avoided their bodies and his claws almost caught someone a few times. None of the Digimon could Digivolve with their energy depleted, not even Armor Digivolve.

"Wizardmon!" Rika shouted, running towards her demonic Digimon. "Dark Splashmon! Stop it!"

Dark Splashmon turned and roared, swiping his claws. Rika dived to the ground to avoid them. She hurriedly crawled away as Dark Splashmon advanced towards her. Her back hit a nearby rock and she stared with horrified eyes as Dark Splashmon raised his claws to potentially kill her. Almost against her own will, a terrified scream ripped free from her throat.

Suddenly, a large black mass rammed into Dark Splashmon and tackled him to the ground. Everyone paused and stared in shock as Dark Splashmon grappled with BlackWarGreymon. The two Digimon fought like wild animals, clawing and in Dark Splashmon's case biting each other to couple punches and kicks. BlackWarGreymon took a few hits and actually shouted in pain, something none of the DigiDestined expected. But the black armored Digimon finally managed to push Dark Splashmon off him and slammed his fist into Dark Splashmon's head, causing the large tiger to fall to the ground, unconscious. BlackWarGreymon advanced towards the white tiger, but suddenly Rika jumped up and put herself between BlackWarGreymon and Dark Splashmon.

"No, wait!" Rika cried. "Don't hurt him! He's my Digimon!"

BlackWarGreymon stared at Rika for a long moment. _I know her….even if we only talked for a little over a day. She wouldn't lie to me. Though she is supposedly shrouded in darkness….she is kind enough to give "monsters" like me and this creature a chance. I thank you, Child. But even you cannot stop me from fulfilling my destiny. _He suddenly shot off and flew away, leaving the DigiDestined quite confused. It was hard to believe BlackWarGreymon actually saved Rika's life. Still, clearly he didn't seem too interested in talking to them after the heroic act, only further confusing the DigiDestined team. Rika turned to Dark Splashmon and approached the large white tiger.

"Rika, don't go near him!" Yolei warned. "We need to wait for him to dedigivolve. Until then, he's just too dangerous."

"Maybe we should try and Armor Digivolve to watch over him." Armadillomon suggested. "In case he wakes up and attacks again. I know it seems bad, but it's for everyone's safety."

Rika trembled as she stepped back from Dark Splashmon. "I'm going to lose him, aren't I?"

"Of course not." Patamon assured. "This happened to Tai and Agumon once too. But they worked it out."

Rika continued to shake, and then hot tears sprouted from her eyes and ran down her cheeks. The others blinked in surprise, unable to remember when they ever saw Rika crying. She always seemed to be able to hold everything in; she was either happy or angry, and everything else remained hidden.

"No….." Rika fell to her hands and knees, tears pouring from her eyes. "No…I can't go through that again…I can't lose him again….not again…."

T.K. stared at Rika. _That's…just like what I thought when Angemon fought BlackWarGreymon…..did she really lose Wizardmon once before? _He blinked in realization. _That's right; Wizardmon sacrificed himself to make sure Rika lived. Did he disappear for a while, like when Patamon did when he became a Digi-Egg? Did Rika feel lost and upset, unsure if she'd ever see her friend again? _He looked down as he slowly approached Rika. _I guess we're not as different then I thought._

Suddenly, Dark Splashmon's eyes snapped open and he rolled to his feet, roaring again. He raised a paw and prepared to smash Rika into the ground. The raven-haired girl still didn't move, staring at Dark Splashmon with fear in her eyes and tears still cascading down her cheeks.

"Rika!" T.K. ran the rest of the way to Rika and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her back and causing them both to fall to the ground. Dark Splashmon's paw hit the ground but nothing more. The monstrous tiger roared at them, and the DigiDestined Digimon prepared to fight despite in their lower forms. Dark Splashmon stood up and prepared to lunge, but instead he snarled in pain. He looked behind him and whipped his tail around to see Gatomon with her teeth latched onto the tiger's tail. Dark Splashmon ran about in a few circles, trying to catch the smaller cat and get her off. The DigiDestined hurriedly moved away, keeping a safe distance from the rampaging tiger Digimon. Gatomon kept her teeth on Dark Splashmon's tail for several more seconds before letting go and landing on all fours on the ground. Dark Splashmon and Gatomon faced each other, growling and seeming to size each other up.

Gatomon summoned all her inner kitty and let out a furious yowl.

Dark Splashmon took a breath in and let out a ferocious roar.

Gatomon hardly flinched, still glaring at Dark Splashmon. "Wizardmon! I know you're still in there somewhere! Remember who you are: a great warrior, a brave Majin type Digimon, and a very dear friend. You're angry and upset, but you must push past that! Everything's okay now!"

Dark Splashmon roared again, ready to snatch Gatomon up and swallow her whole.

"Wizardmon!"

Dark Splashmon paused, his eyes widening as though in shock. He didn't turn his head, but the second Kari stepped into his line of sight he couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Kari!" Davis cheered. "You're alive!" He would've run forward towards the girl, but Dark Splashmon growled in his throat and made the brunette boy duck behind Yolei.

Kari, though still covered in scorch marks and very much weakened from the devastating blow, stood tall and strong before Dark Splashmon. The large white tiger only stared back, his face unreadable. The DigiDestined of Light glared for a moment before her face softened. "It's okay, Wizardmon. I'm all right. A little beat up, but all right. You don't have to be angry anymore."

Dark Splashmon made a sort of rumbling sound in his throat. He crouched down to lie on his stomach, like a sphinx statue, and continued to stare at Kari.

"I've seen you change a lot, Wizardmon." Kari said, smiling softly. "I saw your Rookie form, Impmon. I saw you Digivolve to Baalmon and Armor Digivolve to Dynasmon. Now I've seen this. But no matter how many times you Digivolve and no matter what into, you're still the same Wizardmon I know. The one who helped bring Gatomon to me; who risked his life to find my Crest; who _gave _his life to save mine even though we hardly knew each other. I will never forget that."

Dark Splashmon made another rumbling sound, almost like a purr, and set his head on the ground.

Kari stepped forward and pressed her hands to Dark Splashmon's nose, then ran them along his muzzle as she hugged him. Tears dripped down to the tiger Digimon's muzzle. "Come back to me, Wizardmon. Come back to us. This isn't your true Mega form, you're just mad. Because you care about me so much that you hated seeing me get hurt. Thank you, Wizardmon. Thank you for caring so much." Kari looked up and her mahogany eyes locked with Dark Splashmon's red ones. "I love you, Wizardmon."

"Same goes for me." Gatomon said, coming up to stand beside Kari. "It goes for all of us."

Dark Splashmon stared at the girl and her cat for a long moment. Then, he let out a heavy sigh through his nose. Dark Splashmon's body glowed brightly, and he shrunk down until a new, _much _smaller Digimon rested at Kari's feet. Kari knelt down and scooped up the round creature with floppy ears that pointed at the end, with a light brown face and green eyes and a tiny mouth.

"Wizardmon?" Gatomon breathed.

"I'm Yaamon now." the In-Training Level Digimon sighed. "I did a bad thing, didn't I?"

"You kind of went cat-crazy." Gatomon said with a smile.

Yaamon moaned, his ears drooping. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I was just—"

"Angry? Sad? Probably a number of other things." Kari guessed, smiling warmly. "Don't worry, Yaamon. It happened; we learned from it. We move on."

Yaamon stared at Kari, his gaze shifting between her and Gatomon. Tears welled up in his eyes and he fought to hide them. A little hard to do, considering his lack of limbs. "You're so kind. So forgiving. I've never known someone so nice." He gave Kari a watery smile. "Thank you."

Kari smiled too and rubbed her head lovingly against his. Gatomon climbed up into her partner's lap and joined the hug. Soon enough, all the DigiDestined came forward to check up on Yaamon. T.K. turned to see Rika sitting on the ground several yards away, making no effort to move.

T.K. came up to Rika and knelt down to her eye level. "Hey Rika. Yaamon needs you now. Aren't you going to check up on him?"

"I think I've done enough already." Rika said, her eyes hidden by the brim of her hat.

"Rika, don't blame yourself." T.K. said. "Tai did this once too with Agumon. You both wanted your Digimon to get stronger because you were angry with your enemies. But you realized your mistake and now it's time to move on. Tai did; and I know you can too."

Rika kept staring at the ground. "I'm a terrible DigiDestined. I've failed my partner. I failed all of you. I'm not worthy—"

"Shut up!" T.K. suddenly shouted, catching everyone's attention. "Don't you _dare _say such a thing! Just because you made a mistake doesn't make you any less worthy of being a DigiDestined!" His face softened, as did his tone. "If anyone's unworthy, I am right now. You and Wizardmon were right; I let my anger get the better of me. It was wrong, and I realize that now. I still don't like BlackWarGreymon very much, but maybe you're right; he can't be fully evil. I can also say that my opinion of you has changed." Rika jumped a little when T.K. suddenly hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry, Rika. I'm so sorry; I was wrong. I was angry at you and I let that affect how I felt about you. Only now, I realize that I never wanted you to leave. I want you to be my friend again."

"We all do." Cody said as the rest of the DigiDestined approached the pair.

"We're all very sorry, Rika." Patamon said. The humans and the Digimon bowed to Rika; T.K. scooted back a bit and mimicked the gesture.

Rika looked down. "Don't be silly. I'm the one who did all that stupid stuff in the canyon. I mean, maybe I should've talked to you about how I felt about BlackWarGreymon instead of doing my own thing. I'm so used to doing things my way I don't really think about any other way to handle things. We were a team after all. I guess I forgot about that."

"We did too." T.K. assured. "For a while, we forgot what it means to be a DigiDestined. We're supposed to be friends, and nothing should change that no matter how much we fight. So how about this: we'll forgive you and you forgive us?"

"Please say you will, Rika." Yolei requested as everyone straightened up. "Rejoin our group."

"What are you talking about?" Rika scoffed, her eyes on the ground. "I'm not coming back. Not after everything I did."

"Who ever said we hold anything against you?" Ken asked. "You don't seem to hold anything against us, after all. I say forgive and forget."

Rika gasped softly, finally raising staring at the children and Digimon before her. They all just smiled warmly, as though they never fought in the first place. "You…you really want me back? After everything I've done?"

"It's all in the past." Ken assured. "You're DigiDestined, just like us. You belong with us, so you must return."

"We won't take 'no' for an answer." Leafmon piped up.

T.K. smiled at Rika. "Will you come home, Rika? Please say you will."

For the second time that day, tears flowed from Rika's eyes. She took off her glasses and hat and rubbed her eyes with the hat. But even then, she couldn't stop her tears. "Even after all that, after everything that happened, you accept me. You came looking for me." She looked up at her friends, still crying. "You guys….you're such dorks….I love that about you…."

T.K. came forward again and wrapped Rika in a tight hug. This time she returned it. Everyone else laughed and came in for a huge group hug. They stayed like that for a long time, even when the sun finally set and the stars came out.

* * *

><p>"It's nice to meet you, Rika." Mrs. Kamiya greeted. "I'm sorry the house is such a mess; I didn't realize Kari invited you to sleep over."<p>

"It's okay." Rika bowed to the woman. "I think your home is very lovely."

"Oh you're so sweet." Mrs. Kamiya said. "I'll let you and Kari hang out. Kari, I can call for take-out if you'd like, but Dad and I are going out tonight and I didn't even think to cook anything."

"Actually, since you were meaning to make that stir fry, we could make it while you're out." Kari offered.

"I would be happy to help." Rika added.

"Well okay!" Mrs. Kamiya said. "Just be careful."

Kari and Rika promised they would, and soon after began cooking. Kari and Tai's parents left halfway through the process. Tai didn't help cook, but offered to help them finish off the food. However, Gatomon warned the teen that he would have to get through her and Yaamon first. Tai didn't take them very seriously until they latched onto his wild hair and wouldn't let go for several minutes. Kari and Rika found great enjoyment in this, but Kari could tell Rika was still affected by the shock of everything that recently happened. Her brightness faded somewhat. Few things they did that evening could bring out her usual smile, from their fabulous dinner to watching a couple of their favorite movies.

As Kari finished washing the dishes, she glanced around the room to take in everything. Tai sat back on the couch, watching Gatomon and Yaamon mimic a battle scene from a movie they recently watched. Her parents hadn't returned yet. But it seemed someone was missing. Kari excused herself and went to look for her friend.

Yaamon stared after Kari. "It's hard to believe she's still alive right now. That blast she protected us from should've killed her."

"I'm just glad it didn't." Gatomon said. "Still, you have a point. Even a Digimon would be severely injured, maybe even killed."

"Exactly." Yaamon murmured.

"What are you getting at, Yaamon?" Tai asked.

Yaamon sighed. "I don't know. I guess I'm just amazed by it. Kari's either not a normal human or she's just as powerful as Rika. It's almost like they have some powerful guardian angels watching them."

Tai watched Kari move out to the terrace, his eyes locked on his baby sister. "Yeah…angels…."

Kari looked around and discovered Rika did stand out on the terrace, leaning on the railing and staring out at the stars. The DigiDestined of Light stood beside the DigiDestined of Darkness, the two of them silent for a long moment.

"Kari?"

"Yes Rika?"

"I want you to do me a favor."

"What's that?"

Rika reached into her collar and pulled something over her head. She held out the object and Kari discovered it to be the raven-haired girl's tag and Crest.

"Rika?"

"I want you to hold onto my tag and Crest."

"What for?"

"Because you're the DigiDestined of Light. You can suppress the darkness. I know most of the blame is on myself, but if I don't have my Crest Wizardmon won't be able to Digivolve to that monster again."

"But Rika—"

"Please, Kari. Please take my Crest. I don't want to put Wizardmon through that again. He doesn't deserve it."

Kari finally nodded and took the tag and Crest, tucking it away in her pocket. "I'll only keep it temporarily. It's your Crest, your destiny. You'll have to take it back sooner or later. So when you're ready or when it's time, whichever comes first, you'll get it back. I promise."

Rika looked to Kari, and she smiled softly. "I'm happy to know you, Kari. You've changed my life."

"And you've changed mine." Kari said. "We really are twins, Rika. Though we're different in some ways, it's almost like we balance each other out."

Rika blinked in surprise. "Balance?"

"Yeah." Kari nodded. "Kind of like that Yin-Yang symbol you like so much."

Rika looked down, then turned to stare at the stars again. "Balance, huh? Yeah. I guess that sounds about right."

Kari turned so that both girls stared out at the clear night sky. The brunette reached her hand out, and the raven-haired girl's hand met hers halfway.


	29. The Ghost of Witchmon

**Wizardmon's Home; The Ghost of Witchmon**

_Witchenly. Home of all types of Majin Digimon. While Majin Digimon are known to live in numerous places, Witchenly is where they live as one community. It is here many Majin search for a mentor or even a parent to raise them. On most days, the marketplace would be bustling and busy with vendors and shoppers; children play in the street; magical Digimon talk and converse with one another about any number of things from spells and spell books to babysitters and new soup recipes. Only today, the pouring rain gave everyone the perfect excuse for staying inside._

_One lone figure drifted down the streets, an umbrella floating above her head and a bag of potion ingredients from a friend in her arms. The Majin wore a thick black belt over a red dress with golden designs that seemed to hug her body, even her legs, but still allowed her to walk easily. She also wore long red gloves to match and a pair of black, heeled boots. A black cape flowed down her back, clasped in the front with a silver pin with a round ruby in it. Her pointed hat was red with a black band, resting on a mop of short-cut, golden blonde hair with bangs that hung in her sparkling sky blue eyes. Felines seemed to be a theme for her, as a cat shaped ornament graced her hat, a black cat face tattoo stood out on her shoulder, and a ghostly cat floating beside her. Her name: Witchmon. Though she often carried a broom to fly around on, she converted the flying instrument into an umbrella when the rain started._

_As Witchmon walked, something made her pause. "Do you feel that, Kuro-chan?" The black cat meowed, as though to confirm it. "That aura…it feels as though in distress…..and very sick and weak." She turned to a nearby vendor's stand, now boarded up without an occupant. "Coming from over there." Witchmon walked over to the stand, peering behind it to discover a crate filled with scraps of cloth, pieces of thread, and a couple broken needles, indicating the wastebasket of a seamstress. Something stood out in the material, and Witchmon crouched down to sift through the soaking wet cloth. She gasped softly at the sight of a navy blue Digi-Egg, covered in magical symbols Witchmon often found in her books._

"_Meow?" Kuro said._

"_You're right, Kuro-chan." Witchmon told her feline friend. "It _is _strange to find a Digi-Egg out here. It feels so weak and sickly." Suddenly, the egg began to crack and glow, and in a burst of light the egg hatched to reveal a round, purple baby Digimon with pointed ears, beady black eyes, and a tiny mouth. Except the baby's color looked pale and ghastly, and he coughed weakly. He began to cry and whimper, still coughing. His egg alone was so weak it didn't form a cradle like it should._

"_A Kiimon!" Witchmon breathed. "But it's so unhealthy. Poor thing; whoever was charged to care for it obviously didn't want to bother with him." The baby continued to whimper and cry softly, but now he seemed to calm down enough to look up at Witchmon. The kind Majin smiled at the baby, moving her bag to one arm and using her free hand to pick up the smaller Digimon. "Don't you worry, little one." She said soothingly as the Kiimon continued to cough. "I'm going to take good care of you. My name is Witchmon. And from now on, I'm going to be your mother."_

_Mother…_

_Mother…_

"Mother….."

* * *

><p>"Impmon? Hey Impmon!" Gatomon shook her friend as the purple-colored imp Digimon murmured in his sleep. "Impmon!"<p>

Impmon's eyes flew open and he panted a little. He looked over at Gatomon and frowned. "I don't remember setting my alarm to 'kitten'."

"You never were a morning person." Gatomon laughed. "You know you were muttering in your sleep, right?"

"Was not." Impmon huffed, sitting upright.

"Sure you were." Gatomon said. "You kept saying 'mother' over and over again. Were you dreaming about your mom?"

Impmon looked down, his ears drooping a bit. Gatomon realized she may have struck a nerve and silently thanked the heavens when Kari came in with breakfast.

"Glad to see you Digivolved, Impmon." Kari said, setting down a tray with breakfast food. "You must be feeling better."

"Yep." Impmon nodded. "After breakfast I'll be able to Digivolve to Wizardmon. Not that I don't like my Rookie form, but I don't want Rika to carry me around like a toy."

"That makes sense." Kari nodded. "I hope you guys are ready for action, because we have a job to do in the Digital World."

"Tracking down the Destiny Stones again?" Gatomon guessed.

"Actually, no." Kari corrected. "We have our Digimon friends looking out for the Stones and they'll let us know if they find one. But Palmon called us; she and Mimi ran into some Digimon who are having trouble in their village and they'd like our help. I thought it'd be a nice change of pace after all this Destiny Stone hunting."

"What village are we going to?" Gatomon asked.

"Someplace called Witchenly." Kari answered. "Sounds like a nice place."

"Witchenly?" Impmon repeated, a look of shock on his face. "Did you say Witchenly?" When Kari nodded, Impmon leaped into the air with a cheer. "I know that place! That's where I was born and raised! It's the home to all kinds of Majin-type Digimon!" He paused in his cheering. "But why would they be having a problem? I mean, the place is filled with many wise and powerful Digimon. What could be wrong?"

"We'll find out soon enough." Kari said. "We're leaving after breakfast."

* * *

><p>Much to Impmon's disappointment, Rika didn't let him Digivolve when they left to meet the others. She carried him on her shoulders, so at least he was comfortable. Kari could tell Rika still feared him Digivolving to Dark Splashmon, but she knew it would only take a little more time to move on. The DigiDestined gathered at the park, where Izzy helped them get to the Digital World through his laptop. Once they traveled through the portal, Impmon finally Digivolved to Wizardmon (much to his relief). He seemed very excited to go back to Witchenly, telling everyone that he hadn't been there in a long time. But he promised them all a wonderful tour upon arriving.<p>

"Hey guys!" Mimi greeted as they arrived. She and Palmon waved as the DigiDestined approached them. Today, fashionista Mimi wore jeans, tan boots, a denim jacket, and a pink tank top. She pulled her hair into a braid down her back.

"Thanks for coming." Palmon said as she and Mimi led them down to Witchenly. "Witchenly's really in trouble."

"What could possibly be bothering them?" Wizardmon asked. "Wisemon lives nearby, doesn't he?"

"That's just the beginning." Mimi said. "But we heard it all from another Digimon in town, so we'll let him do all the talking."

"It must be nice to return home after so long, huh Wizardmon?" Patamon asked.

"Yes, very much so." Wizardmon nodded. "I left Witchenly….wow, it's actually been many years since I left. I always traveled and never stopped, nor did I ever go back. Just when I was thinking about going back, I ran into Gatomon and you all know the rest from there."

"Why did you leave?" Davis asked. "I mean, look at this place." Looking around, the DigiDestined noticed traditional Japanese houses and smaller huts with Digimon playing in the streets, laughing and talking. Further down, they arrived at a bustling marketplace, a full-on smorgasbord of new sights, sounds, and sensations. Digimon vendors sold everything from jewelry to food to herbs to books, shouting out their wares while also managing purchases. Many of the Digimon whispered excitedly at the sight of the humans and their Digimon partners, and even more greeted them warmly as they passed.

"What could've possibly made you want to leave and not look back?" Hawkmon asked.

Wizardmon didn't answer, staring at everything around him. For a moment, he noticed the beauty like the others. But soon, his eyes only saw flames and destruction, and he could hear the echoes of screaming Digimon in his head.

Mimi and Palmon finally arrived at a small hut at the edge of the market and knocked briskly on the door. A strange Digimon answered, looking like a brown monkey only with a large, colorful mask over his face, a bush of green hair on his head, and wearing some sort of green grass loincloth, hand wraps, and carrying a boomerang on his back.

"Hello Sepikmon." Mimi and Palmon bowed, as did the others. "We brought the DigiDestined, like you asked."

"Ah, wonderful!" Sepikmon said. "Come in, please! I made some tea." Once everyone filed in and settled in his spacious living room, Sepikmon told them what happened. "It started some days ago when Wisemon disappeared. Someone heard a loud explosion from his home on the outskirts of Witchenly and we went to investigate. Poor chap's door completely blown off its hinges, and Wisemon was nowhere in sight. We fear the worse. Then, something began attacking Digimon at night. Two weeks ago, in fact the same day Wisemon disappeared, a strange creature attacked me and my friends on our midnight stroll. Sadly, one of my comrades fell to the beast before it disappeared. The next night, it attacked again. Nobody can defeat it; it's as though the beast is shrouded in shadows. We've sent the guardian of the village out after it, but he hasn't returned. And there's more."

"More besides that?" Yolei gasped.

"It would seem we are being haunted." Sepikmon said. "Everywhere Digimon look, there are ghostly figures floating around town. They haven't done any damage, at least not intentionally, but they keep spooking folks. They come out the most at night and seem to be frequenting Witchmon Manor up on the ridge up there." He pointed out the window at the small mountain nearby. "Not sure why the ghosts are here. They all look like victims of the Dark Day."

"What's the Dark Day?" Ken asked.

"It _was _a very terrible day in our history." Sepikmon said. "Dark Day was the day the Dark Masters attacked Witchenly and destroyed many of its residents and homes. It took a long time for us to rebuild it, let alone get over the deaths of our loved ones."

"That's terrible." T.K. said sadly. "The Dark Masters were some pretty bad guys. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised they would do such a thing."

"You say the ghosts are more frequent at Witchmon Manor?" Rika clarified.

"Yes." Sepikmon nodded. "Nobody goes up that mountain anymore."

"Until now." Rika said. "Guys, if we're going to get to the bottom of this, we're going to have to start there."

* * *

><p>When the DigiDestined arrived at Witchmon Manor, they stared in awe at the beauty of the building. Needless to say, it put many other mansions to shame. It stood at least four stories, made completely of stone with large oak doors and a lion doorknocker. Though nervous, the DigiDestined approached the door and Rika knocked as loud as she could.<p>

"Maybe nobody's home?" Davis shrugged.

"I can't imagine anyone living here if it's haunted." Kari said. "But you never know."

"We don't know for sure that the place is haunted." Yolei said hopefully. She and everyone else jumped a little when the doors slowly creaked open. "Then again….."

The kids and Digimon entered the house slowly, looking all around at the elegant grandeur of the hallway and main hall alone. At least, it probably used to be elegant and grand. Only now, dust and cobwebs covered everything; the paint peeled off the walls or looked overall dull in color. It seemed as though someone flipped over all the furniture. Various scorch marks and slash marks covered the walls, ceilings, and floors. Tears in the drapes looked suspiciously like claw marks.

"Wow." Ken breathed. "Whoever Witchmon was, she must've lived like a princess."

"More like a queen." Gatomon said.

"Hey, check this out." Cody's voice brought everyone over to where he stood, and they looked up to see a portrait of what they assumed was the former residents of the manor. A human-like Digimon lay on a comfy couch, dressed in red and black clothes complete with a witch's hat and a broom. Two Impmon rested in her lap, identical save for one's eyes colored jade green and the other's colored gray. Two more, smaller Digimon played on the ground below the couch, one looking like a green monkey in leopard print clothing and the other like a red round dragon with a black-tipped tail and ears similar to Patamon's. Yet another smaller Digimon rested on the back of the couch, looking like a legless raccoon with a spiked helmet, and a YukimiBotamon sat beside it.

"Who are those guys?" Veemon asked.

"That's Witchmon." Wizardmon said, pointing to the red-clothed woman. "Those are Koemon—" He pointed to the green monkey. "—and Gigimon." He pointed to the red dragon. "That's Kapurimon." He pointed to the raccoon with the helmet. "And you know the YukimiBotamon and Impmon twins there."

"How do you know them?" Yolei asked.

"I lived with them for a long time." Wizardmon said.

Rika focused on the Impmon with the green eyes in the picture, and she gasped softly. "_That's _Witchmon? The Digimon who raised you?"

"It is." Wizardmon nodded. "And those other five Digimon were like my siblings."

"Aw, you look like such a nice family." Wormmon said with a smile. "Witchmon looks like a very nice lady."

"She was." Wizardmon kept his head down, hiding his eyes. Everyone could feel the tension rising, save for Davis who kept rambling about how cute Witchmon looked. Finally, T.K. spoke up and suggested they all split up with their Digimon partners and search the house for ghosts. If anyone saw anything, they were to give a shout.

Gatomon and Kari worked together to search the second floor bedrooms, looking under beds, into closets and drawers, and even checking into mirrors. But they didn't find much. Gatomon slunk off to the room next door, but only found a bathroom. That is, until she noticed a nearby closet and witnessed a door moving. Gatomon fell down to all fours, slinking over to the closet door and throwing it open, holding her claws ready. But she blinked in surprise when the closet's occupant jumped and slammed himself against the closet wall. He looked thoroughly surprised by Gatomon discovering him, like a child caught in a game of hide-and-seek.

"Wizardmon?" Gatomon squinted her eyes. It certainly looked like her friend, but his clothes weren't the right color; he wore white and sky blue instead of cream and red and navy blue. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" The Wizardmon look-alike didn't answer, gripping his snowflake-topped staff tightly in one hand. Gatomon smiled softly. "Don't be afraid. Come on out." The strange Digimon stared at Gatomon for a moment before running past the cat and out the window, disappearing from sight. Gatomon stared after him. "Well that was strange…"

"_AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Ghost!"_

Gatomon and Kari ran out to the hallway, meeting with Mimi and Palmon along the way. They hurried to the railing and stared out at the main hall. Ken, Wormmon, Rika, and Wizardmon appeared at the railing on the other side of the house, staring down as Davis and Veemon ran about wildly, chasing a small white creature around the room. Even from standing on the second floor, they could see the white creature go through solid objects and reveal its ghostliness.

Wizardmon's eyes widened. "It can't be…" He jumped off the railing and flew down to the chaos, landing before Davis and Veemon to stop them from chasing the ghost. He turned to the cowering white creature and knelt down to it. "YukimiBotamon?"

The ghostly white baby Digimon stared up at the Majin for a moment before smiling warmly. "Wizardmon-nīsan! It's good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, Yukimi-chan." Wizardmon said with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been here since those horrible monsters attacked us!" YukimiBotamon said. "We can't leave! None of us can!"

"But why?" Wizardmon asked. "What's holding you here?"

"Nobody knows." YukimiBotamon said sadly. "Mama-mon said we have to find someone to defeat the darkness and release us."

"But what does that mean?" Wizardmon asked. "Where's Witchmon? She can explain everything."

YukimiBotamon tensed up, as though given an electric shock, and she looked down. "I'm sorry, Wizardmon-nīsan. Mama-mon doesn't want us to talk about it. She doesn't want you to get hurt."

"What are you talking about?" Wizardmon asked. "What's this darkness?"

"I can't tell you." YukimiBotamon said. "Bye, Wizardmon-nīsan." She suddenly floated up into the air and flew away, right through the nearby window. Wizardmon stood up and he gasped when he saw where YukimiBotamon flew. "No! Wait!" Much to everyone else's shock, Wizardmon shot forward and threw a Magical Game attack, shattering the window and cracking many of the other ones around it. He jumped through the broken window and ran after YukimiBotamon as she floated across the grassy backyard. The DigiDestined gathered at the window and they finally saw what seemed to get Wizardmon all hyped up.

"We have to go after him!" Rika urged, moving towards the glass.

"No, not that way!" Yolei said. "We'll cut ourselves! Let's find a back door!" They hurried off to do that very thing.

Wizardmon continued to run, not stopping until YukimiBotamon reached her destination. Wizardmon stood several feet away, staring with wide eyes at a familiar figure; though translucent, he could clearly see her red clothing, golden blonde hair, and sparkling blue eyes he loved so much.

"Witchmon…." Wizardmon breathed.

The ghostly Witchmon held YukimiBotamon in her hand, staring at Wizardmon with a sad gaze. "Please, my little imp. Don't worry about this darkness or our predicament. Leave Witchenly until the danger has passed."

"But I—" Wizardmon took a step forward.

"You mustn't worry about us." Witchmon insisted. "Just go on home. It is good to see you, my child. But please leave. Goodbye my dear." Witchmon began to disappear.

Wizardmon's eyes widened. "No! Don't leave! Come back!" He ran towards Witchmon as she disappeared completely. He lunged for her, but he went right through the ghost and hit the bushes behind her. After being gone from home so long, Wizardmon forgot that these bushes lined the cliff edge, so when he pushed through the bushes he met only open air. The Majin shouted in surprise and then yelped in pain as he tumbled down the cliff edge.

"Wizardmon!" Rika cried as the DigiDestined ran to the cliff edge.

"Come on!" Ken urged, jumped over the bushes and carefully sliding down the cliff side. The others followed down the semi-steep decline, some more graceful than others. They stopped when they reached Wizardmon on a flatter area several yards down. The Majin lay very still, so when the DigiDestined approached him they all looked very worried.

Gatomon approached him first, shaking his shoulder. "Wizardmon? You okay?"

Wizardmon finally pushed himself to a sitting position, rubbing his eyes on his sleeve so they wouldn't see his tears. "I'm fine."

Gatomon's ears drooped a little. Mimi approached them and knelt down to Wizardmon's eye level. "Wizardmon? Was Witchmon your mother? Was she killed during Dark Day?"

Wizardmon didn't speak, but his silence gave everyone the answer they already knew.

After some debate, the group decided it better to go back to Witchenly and wait until nightfall for the dark creature to come out. They all agreed that this dark beast could very well be the darkness YukimiBotamon spoke of, but they wouldn't know until they saw it for themselves. So they started making their way down the mountain and back down to the Majin town. Wizardmon remained silent all the way through, clearly shaken by the encounter with Witchmon's ghost. Rika knew Wizardmon didn't like to talk about his life before meeting Gatomon; usually, it involved his life with Witchmon and living in Witchenly. Dark Day's true meaning remained a mystery for now, but whatever happened that day shook Wizardmon to the core. For the most part, the Majin Digimon was fearless. Sure, he feared losing the people he cared about, but that seemed about it. Only now, the DigiDestined began to realize _why _he feared it so much.

Because it happened before.

"Hey, what's that?" Armadillomon pointed to a group of trees a little ways down from them, and beyond the trees the roof of a house peered out.

"Sepikmon told us there was a nice onsen up here." Mimi said. "Maybe that's it."

"It must be." Rika said. "Witchenly is still a long way's off."

"Sweet!" Davis cheered. "Let's go! I could use a nice hot bath!"

"You definitely need one." T.K. joked.

"But we don't have any money." Yolei protested.

"I'm sure we can pay them back somehow." Kari said. "Besides, I bet they might know something about this dark beast. It wouldn't hurt to ask." The others couldn't argue with that, and they journeyed through the trees to the building. The simple architecture looked like a traditional Japanese building, with a sign over the gate that read "Rena-Rana Onsen."

"They're still here?" Wizardmon breathed, staring at the sign. Before anyone could ask, they heard humming and turned to see someone walking towards the gate. She was clearly a Digimon, her skin colored sea foam green and her eyes mahogany colored. Under one eye lay three thin, black stripes on her cheek. She wore blue clothing, trimmed in a darker blue with red circular ornaments. Her V-neck top looked more like a swimsuit, showing her midriff and belly button. She also wore capris, strange fingerless gloves, and thick anklets. The Digimon hummed happily as she carried a basket of blackberries in her arms. When she saw the DigiDestined, however, she paused and stared at them, her eyes focusing on two in particular.

"Wizardmon? Rika?" the Digimon breathed.

Rika smiled warmly, waving. "Hey Ranamon! Good to see you!"

Ranamon suddenly squealed happily and ran forward, setting her basket on the ground to properly hug the raven-haired girl. Then she moved to hug Wizardmon, choking him a little in the process. "Oh it's so good to see the both of you! It's been quite a few years!"

"We missed you." Rika laughed. She gestured to the other kids and Digimon behind her. "These are the DigiDestined. They're good friends of ours."

"They're DigiDestined just like you?" Ranamon breathed. "Oh how wonderful!"

"We were investigating some weird things happening around Witchenly." T.K. said. "Something about ghosts and dark creatures."

"Oh yes, it's been quite a bother." Ranamon sighed. "Totally impedes on our customers. Oh, but what are we doing out here?" She hurriedly picked up her basket of berries. "Come on inside. Renamon will be so happy to see you!"

* * *

><p>Ranamon brought them all inside and gave them a brief tour of the onsen before seating them in the dining room. A small army of Digimon came from another room with food and served it to them: turtle-like Digimon with blue helmets called Kamemon and fiery monkey-like Digimon called Coronamon. Ranamon sat at the head of the table with Renamon, a Digimon that looked like a fox with yellow and white fur, purple gloves with Yin-Yang symbols on them, and pretty blue eyes. In comparison to Ranamon's jumpy and excitable nature, Renamon was calm and collected, with almost a regal air about her. Both of the onsen owners voiced their pleasure at seeing Wizardmon and Rika again, having met Rika when she came to the Digital World and knowing Wizardmon through Witchmon.<p>

"Witchmon was the reason we got this place." Renamon explained. "Years ago, Ranamon and I became caught in a vicious battle. To this day we can't even remember why we fought, though I sense it had something to do with vanity. We don't even know how long we fought. It could've been a few weeks, it could've been a few months. One day, Witchmon came across us while we took some time to rest. The both of us were so exhausted, but determined to continue fighting once we caught a second wind. Witchmon approached us and asked 'Why are you fighting?' Ranamon and I replied that we were mortal enemies and couldn't stop until one of us came out victorious. Witchmon asked us why we were enemies, and that's when we realized we didn't really know; we couldn't remember. Witchmon invited us to her home and we finally took the time to eat and drink and rest. The three of us talked for several hours, and for the first time in a long time Ranamon and I spoke almost like old friends."

"After spending a few days with Witchmon, she brought us here." Ranamon continued. "The place looked ghastly, a complete wreck. It was on Witchmon's property, and she gave it to us to, and I quote, 'Conform it to your hearts' desires.' Needless to say, Renamon and I had lots of ideas and we couldn't just leave the place as it stood. So we worked together, rebuilt and renovated. I knew some Kamemon that needed jobs and Renamon had some Coronamon friends who were very happy to help. They certainly seemed fit for the jobs; Kamemon manage water, Coronamon take care of heat, and both rotate jobs in the kitchen and cleaning staff. With Renamon and I in charge and our lovely staff behind us, we became the Rena-Rana Onsen, the best in the Digital World. I _was _thinking about calling it Rana-Rena, but soon I realized that just didn't roll off the tongue."

"This place is beautiful." Rika said. "Just like how I remember it."

"Thank you for the food." Kari said. "You're very nice."

"It is an honor to have the DigiDestined in our humble onsen." Renamon bowed to the guests.

"You all look like you could use some rest and relaxation." Ranamon said. "Why don't you stay for a day or two, free of charge? The baths can be prepared in just a few minutes."

"Oh, we don't want to intrude." Mimi said. "We'd hate to be a bother."

"Not at all, shugah." Ranamon waved it off. "We insist you at least stay the night. You can spend some time in the baths and then we'll have dinner and it'll be such fun!"

"Please say you will." Renamon requested. "Or she won't stop asking."

The DigiDestined laughed but agreed to their requests. Suddenly, a Coronamon burst into the room, shutting the door behind her and kneeling down to bow respectfully. "Forgive me for intruding, Renamon-san and Ranamon-san, but we need help! He's back!"

"Who?" Renamon asked.

"The Guardian of Witchenly!" Coronamon said hurriedly. "He's so weak and hurt! We're taking him up to one of the rooms now, but he won't wake up!"

Renamon hurried out of the room, following the Coronamon. "Can we help?" Yolei asked.

"I'm not sure how." Ranamon said. "I think we better just leave it to Renamon; she's good with medicine."

"I learned some healing magic a long time ago." Wizardmon said. "I can help." Ranamon seemed reluctant, but nodded and led them all down the hall and up the stairs to the bedrooms. The DigiDestined waited by the door, watching as Ranamon and Wizardmon entered the room. A couple Kamemon stood with Renamon at one of the beds, tending to a near comatose Digimon. He looked awfully skinny, especially under his somewhat baggy red and pale orange clothing. His skin was grey and a mop of short brown hair stuck to his head from the sweat. His hat lay on a nearby nightstand, a red brim and rings in it, with the point looking more like a flame and a set of goggles on top.

"He looks almost like Wizardmon." T.K. noted.

"He's FlameWizardmon." One of the Kamemon at the door said. "He's the Great Guardian of Witchenly."

Wizardmon approached the bed FlameWizardmon rested on, looking him over and reading his mind. The fire wizard Digimon seemed to only think about his tiredness, and continuously mentioned how he "must find the beast" and "save Witchenly." Wizardmon took a breath to focus his energy, then closed his eyes and made strange symbols and gestures with his hands. When he finished, Wizardmon pushed his open palms towards FlameWizardmon, and his hands became enveloped in a green glow. The glow surrounded FlameWizardmon briefly before the light disappeared. FlameWizardmon didn't move for several seconds, then his face scrunched up a bit and he moaned softly. His eyes blinked open, and Wizardmon froze when he saw them: gray, like rain clouds. _Those eyes…..I haven't seen those eyes in so long…..but it couldn't be….could it?_

FlameWizardmon's eyes traveled around the room, his ears mostly deaf to their words of comfort. Then, the fire wizard's eyes locked with the dark jade green ones of Wizardmon. A smile formed on his sewn lips. "Those eyes…I haven't seen them in a long time…it's nice to see…."

Wizardmon smiled warmly, taking FlameWizardmon's hand in his own. "Is it really you? That same little pyromaniac that set my hat on fire far too many times to count?"

"If I am, then you are that same little imp that wouldn't stop electrocuting me to wake me up in the mornings." FlameWizardmon laughed lightly.

"Wizardmon?" Rika spoke up as the DigiDestined ventured in the room.

The mentioned Majin turned to the children. "Come on in, everyone. FlameWizardmon, this is Rika, my human partner, and the rest of the DigiDestined. Everyone, this is FlameWizardmon; earlier in his life, he was the second Impmon that Witchmon raised along with me."

"That's right." FlameWizardmon grinned. "I am FlameWizardmon, and I'm Wizardmon's brother."

* * *

><p>"I must've tracked this Dark Beast for days without any sleep or food." FlameWizardmon said, scooping up some water and dumping it over his head. "Not even water. I just wanted to find that creature and destroy it. That creature's hardly alive; it was created by accident from an incorrectly cast spell, and it already consumed the spell caster."<p>

The boys sighed in awe and a little fear. After greeting FlameWizardmon and getting acquainted with one another, Renamon and Ranamon herded them all to the bathhouse. Wizardmon and FlameWizardmon couldn't stop smiling for a long time, and the latter finally pulled his brother into a tight hug that almost crushed his lungs. Wizardmon still felt happy; for the longest time, he believed Witchmon and all her children to be dead, when in reality her twin Impmon both survived. Now, the boys rested in a tub on their side and the girls soaked in one on their own side.

"What do you mean 'consume'?" Hawkmon asked warily.

"This creature isn't really a Digimon. I'm not sure what to call it." FlameWizardmon explained. "It was created because one of the Majin in Witchenly messed with dark magic when he should've left it alone. This creature is like a shadow; it's pure black and made of everything that's dark and evil and bad about this world. It lives by feeding off the darkness within others. It takes you in, like swallowing you whole, and hides away so no one can disturb it while it feeds. Then it traps you so you can't move and it reaches into your mind and soul, finding everything bad and negative about you, searching for your weaknesses and darkness, and taunts you with it as it consumes and eats the darkness. It eats and eats until there's nothing left; you die, because you're so tormented that you just want it to end. And then, it does."

"H-how do you know?" Veemon asked timidly, sinking down into the bath water.

FlameWizardmon stared at the waters. "Because it caught me once. I went through it all, but I managed to escape. Barely." The boys went silent for a long moment until T.K. brought up a new subject.

Over on the girl's side, the females of the DigiDestined felt more relaxed than they felt in a long time, since the day Rika invited them to the lake house.

"Who would've believed it?" Kari laughed lightly. "Wizardmon never mentioned Witchmon very much, never mind siblings like FlameWizardmon."

"He's pretty lucky." Gatomon agreed. "Although he _did _have Rika for a while."

"Where _is _Rika?" Palmon asked. "Shouldn't she be relaxing with us too?"

"I'm coming!" Rika's voice came from around the corner. "Sorry, Ranamon and the Coronamon had to quick clean a couple towels because rest were in the laundry." The raven-haired girl finally came around and walked over to the bath, pinning her braided hair up so it was off her neck. She came over to the bath and gently slid into it. It took all the willpower in each girl to not stare at the ugly, jagged red scar going from her shoulder, across her chest, and down to the bottom of her ribs. They had forgotten that someone seriously wounded Rika when she was young and it left its mark. Kari started up the conversation again, so none of them could stare at the scar.

None except Gatomon, who kept glancing back and forth between Rika's scar to the X-shaped scar on her paw, carefully hidden from the others. The two scars shared a striking similarity, and she felt a twinge of fear at it. _No. it can't be possible. It's _not _possible. My scar came from a Crimson Lightning attack, and Myotismon wasn't even alive when Rika met Wizardmon._

"Wizardmon loved living here." Rika said. "When we escaped the fire, we came here first. Renamon and Ranamon gladly accepted us. They said a friend of Wizardmon's was a friend of theirs."

"Where _is _Wizardmon?" Mimi asked. "I didn't see him go into the boy's side."

"He's probably in one of the other baths by himself." Rika said. "I think he's just a little shy. Or he likes to be alone."

* * *

><p>Wizardmon <em>did <em>sit in a separate bath on the boy's side. Though he could hear the boys laughing and roughhousing a little through the rice paper walls, but he didn't pay much attention. He curled in a ball as he sat in the hot bath, staring at his reflection in the waters.

* * *

><p>"<em>Come along now, the water's fine." Witchmon encouraged. "But no horsing around!" Her children chimed in a "Yes Mama-mon!" before joining their mother in the family bath. The younger Digimon splashed and laughed, allowing Witchmon to bring them over one by one and scrub them clean. But she soon discovered she missed one.<em>

"_My little imp!" Witchmon turned to the door nearby, where her sixth child stood. "Come along, darling. Time to get clean."_

"_I don't see why we have to bathe." Impmon huffed. "We'll just get dirty again later, won't we?"_

* * *

><p>Wizardmon smiled wryly. <em>What an ignorant child I used to be. Not that it seemed to bother Witchmon. She was always accepting and patient and kind… <em>His smile disappeared. _…and loving….._

* * *

><p>"<em>I don't want to go in." Impmon huffed.<em>

"_Too bad." Witchmon raised a hand and snapped her fingers. Impmon yelped as an invisible force pulled him up into the air and plopped him right down into the tub. Witchmon gently grabbed him, took a brush and soap from nearby, and began scrubbing the little Digimon._

"_Hey come on!" Impmon suddenly began giggling when she scrubbed his feet. "Stop! I'm ticklish!"_

"_Cleanliness is next to Digi-ness." Witchmon said as she continued to clean._

"_That's for babies." Impmon said with crossed arms._

_Witchmon laughed. "You should know by now that no matter how old you get or what you Digivolve into, you'll always be my little imp." She hugged him, and though he held a disgruntled look it only masked his smile._

"_And I'll always be her little pyromaniac!" a second Impmon with gray eyes cheered. _"Bada-boom!"_ He launched a fireball into the tub waters, making everyone either complain or laugh._

_Impmon's green eyes sparkled as he laughed too, but soon realized Witchmon still washed him. Now she took a hold of his long, spade-end tail and ran the brush up and down it. "Witchmon, be careful! That thing's connected to my spine!"_

"_I am _always _careful." Witchmon assured._

"_Impmon, why do you call Mama-mon by her name?" Koemon asked._

"_Yeah, she's our mommy." Gigimon said. "We call her 'Mama-mon'."_

_Impmon looked down, staring at his reflection in the water. Witchmon paused in her scrubbing, but only briefly. "You may each call me whatever you wish, be it 'Witchmon' or 'Mama-mon'."_

"_But you love Mama-mon, right Impmon?" YukimiBotamon asked the green-eyed imp._

"_Of course he loves her!" Kapurimon assured. "Just because he calls her 'Witchmon' doesn't mean he doesn't love her!"_

* * *

><p><em>Why couldn't I call her my mother? What was so hard about looking at her and calling her "Mama-mon"? <em>Wizardmon wondered. Looking into the bath waters he seemed to only see scenes of the past. Though happy memories, they brought tears to his eyes. _Why couldn't I show how much I loved her? I _did _love her; with all my heart. But I could never accept her as my mother, not after she told me how she found me. I wasn't like her other children; she found me fighting for my life and took pity on me. She _did _love me, right? Oh what am I saying? Of course she did. Now I have to ask: did _I _really love her? Considering what I did to her, could she really still love me back? _Visions of happy memories played over and over again in the waters until tears dripped down from Wizardmon's eyes and washed them away.

"Hey Wizardmon."

The Majin quickly cupped his hands and splashed water on his face to hide his tears. Then he turned to see Veemon, Hawkmon, Armadillomon, and Patamon at the door. "FlameWizardmon is showing off some of his flame attacks in the bath tub and it's getting a little crazy." Patamon said. "Would you mind if we joined you in here?"

"Not at all." Wizardmon said, gesturing to the tub. The four Digimon jumped right in, sighing in content.

"This place really is cool, Wizardmon." Patamon said. "You must have a lot of good memories here."

"Yes, I do." Wizardmon replied simply. He made no further comments, somewhat worrying the other Digimon.

At dinner that evening, everyone talked and laughed and ate a good meal prepared by the Coronamon and Kamemon. The onsen staff prepared a great feast, overjoyed at having guests after so long. Renamon and Ranamon initially apologized for the amount of food, but then laughed when Davis and Veemon challenged each other to an eating contest.

FlameWizardmon glanced over at Wizardmon, sitting beside him. He watched as Wizardmon used one hand to keep his cowl down while using the other to eat and drink his meal. "Why do you wear that scarf?"

"It's called a cowl." Wizardmon corrected simply, picking up his tea and sipping it.

"Fine." FlameWizardmon rolled his eyes. "Why do you wear that cowl? What's so wrong about the thread over our mouths? It's just a part of who we are."

"It's not like I chose it." Wizardmon shrugged. "The outfit comes with the Digivolution, just like yours."

FlameWizardmon found no reason to further argue the matter, so he continued to eat. "You chose to leave, right? You left Witchenly on your own free will?"

Wizardmon paused briefly in his eating. "I didn't necessarily choose to leave. I just chose to not come back."

FlameWizardmon went silent for a moment. "Why?"

"There was nothing left for me in Witchenly." Wizardmon replied. "Dark Day took everything that I knew, so I couldn't stay."

"That's a lie." FlameWizardmon said, a small growl in his tone. "What about me? I survived that day."

"Yes, but I didn't know it at the time." Wizardmon said, a similar anger in his tone. "I thought _everyone _was dead, but now I know you're here and alive. I'm happy you're here. It's all done now."

FlameWizardmon's grip tightened on his cup. In a swift movement, he suddenly threw the cup's contents into Wizardmon's face. The simple action only attracted the attention of Gatomon, Kari, Hawkmon, and T.K., who sat near the two wizards, but they all looked nonetheless shocked.

"It's all done now?" FlameWizardmon hissed so no one else would hear. "It's all done? Don't be so ignorant."

"I take it you're not so happy with my contentment." Wizardmon guessed, drying his face with his napkin.

"Contentment?" FlameWizardmon scoffed. "Oh yes, I'm sure you're _so _content knowing our mother's spirit is trapped here."

"She was never really my mother." Wizardmon corrected. "She _created _you; I was a sickly baby Digimon she took in out of pity."

"Don't you _dare _harden your heart like that." FlameWizardmon snapped quietly. "She loved you until the day she died, and she continues to love you today."

"Do not assume that I never loved her." Wizardmon growled. "I was devastated when I heard the news. I _saw _Witchmon's ghost. I was there when Devimon attacked our home and tore her away from me. I died that day."

"And you think I didn't?" FlameWizardmon demanded, in a bit of a louder voice that attracted a bit more attention. "I thought my family was completely gone. I thought _you _died too! It never occurred me to look for you because I never thought you were alive. And now I'm hearing that you've traveled all over the Digital World, even venturing to the realm of the humans. Did it ever occur to you to return to Witchenly to check in? To see if anybody missed you?"

"Nobody missed me." Wizardmon assured.

"That's a lie!" FlameWizardmon finally shouted, jumping to his feet. The rest of the table went deathly quiet, staring at the quarrelling brothers. "_I _missed you! I miss everyone! Every day I mourn for the death of my family, never realizing until today one of my own brothers lived!"

"Why do you think I left?" Wizardmon jumped to his feet to be at FlameWizardmon's eye level. "I thought nobody survived! I didn't know you were alive! If I had known, I would've come back!"

"Oh, so it was all riding on me?" FlameWizardmon snapped. "Guess what, Wizardmon? I still mourn, but I could move on and I didn't react unreasonably."

"Unreasonably?" Wizardmon growled. "You have _no idea _what I went through that day!"

"You probably wouldn't talk about it anyway!" FlameWizardmon shouted. "You always keep everything inside! You never talked to anyone, even after you Digivolved to this!"

"I don't have to explain myself to you." Wizardmon turned on his heel and marched towards the doors.

"Don't turn your back on me!" FlameWizardmon shouted. When Wizardmon didn't answer, FlameWizardmon created a ball of fire in his palm and threw it. Everyone jumped as the fire smashed against Wizardmon's head, making him pause but otherwise doing no damage.

Slowly, Wizardmon turned around and glared at FlameWizardmon. "Now I know you didn't just do that."

FlameWizardmon created another ball of fire in his palm. "Now, boys." Renamon tried to calm them down. "Just stay calm—" FlameWizardmon suddenly threw the fireball, but this time Wizardmon sent a Thunder Ball and met the fire halfway.

"You are so selfish!" FlameWizardmon stomped towards Wizardmon, throwing more fire.

Wizardmon kept deflecting the blows, sending his own right back. "_I'm _selfish? What about you, oh Great Guardian of Witchenly? Surely you didn't take _that _job for the kicks."

"I took this job because I didn't want the Dark Masters or anyone to destroy my home again." FlameWizardmon growled, still advancing. "I stayed because I wanted to make a difference. When those monsters attacked, I finally evolved from Impmon to FlameWizardmon. I had new and stronger powers. I wanted to do something with my newly Digivolved form that would help people. What did you do? You ran away because you were afraid."

"You saw what I did. If you had done the same, you would've run too." Wizardmon assured.

"You're wrong!" FlameWizardmon finally came within a few feet of Wizardmon and threw his fist forward. Much to his surprise, Wizardmon simply raised a hand and caught his fist.

"I'm not the same, FlameWizardmon." Wizardmon assured, his grip tightening on his brother's fist. "I have grown much stronger."

"_Draining Rain!"_ Ranamon clapped her hands above her head, and a storm cloud formed that drifted over to the fighting Majin. Rain poured down, and suddenly the two of them fell to their knees and groaned as though in pain. When the attack disappeared, Ranamon marched over, roughly pulled them to their feet, and pushed the two wizards apart from each other. "The two of you are acting ridiculous! Fighting like mortal enemies. The two of you are brothers."

"_Half-_brother." FlameWizardmon growled. Wizardmon glared at him before turning away and stomping off.

"That wasn't very nice." Hawkmon noted.

"Well he deserves it." FlameWizardmon huffed, returning to his seat. "He's acting like such a child. Doesn't he realize what is obvious?"

"FlameWizardmon, why did Witchmon take in you, Wizardmon, and those other Digimon?" Rika asked.

"She only took in Wizardmon." FlameWizardmon corrected.

"From Primary Village?" T.K. asked.

"No, off the streets." FlameWizardmon explained.

"Why would he be out on the streets?" Yolei asked. "And why wasn't he in Primary Village?"

"Things work a little differently for Majin type Digimon." Renamon explained. She looked to FlameWizardmon, the only one there who could properly explain it.

FlameWizardmon sighed, still miffed from his argument with Wizardmon. "Well, all Digi-Eggs are created in Primary Village; nobody knows how or why, but that's where you find them. An Elecmon takes care of them. Witchmon is one of the exceptions; she used her magic to create the Digi-Eggs of Koemon, Gigimon, Kapurimon, YukimiBotamon, and myself. You know those strange characters on the inside of Wizardmon's cape? In Primary Village, sometimes Elecmon will find a Digi-Egg with those same symbols on it. These characters are found in all of our spell books, sometimes used in our enchantments, and many believe it's one of the keys of Digivolution. Whenever Elecmon finds a Digi-Egg like that, he brings it to Witchenly to find another Digimon to care for it. Majin babies can be very dangerous; their magic is a little wild, especially when so young. A Digimon in Witchenly, sometimes two, will be chosen either at random or by volunteer. Then the Digi-Egg is given to them so they may raise the Digimon and train him or her to control his or her powers."

"So what happened to Wizardmon?" Gatomon asked.

FlameWizardmon's eyes finally softened, and he thought back to that evening when Witchmon brought home the little Kiimon, sick and tired and staring at his Impmon brother with still-shining eyes. Those eyes that held so much life and fire, despite the rest of his body dying. "Wizardmon's egg….it wasn't healthy. He was sick and dying from the moment he hatched. The Majin who volunteered to take care of his egg instead abandoned it in a seamstress' wastebasket. They didn't think he would survive. Witchmon arrived just as he hatched into Kiimon. She brought him home and nursed him back to health. For a long time, we were afraid he wouldn't make it. But he…my brother….he's a fighter. Always has been, always will. It took a lot of fighting on his part; Witchmon's magic and love could only do so much. But he did it. He pushed through. He survived and Witchmon kept him in the family. Honestly, I loved having him as a brother. He quickly Digivolved to Impmon, and the two of us became known as the Impmon Twins in Witchenly." FlameWizardmon smiled. "I loved it. I loved having a brother at the same level as me. And we were so alike in so many ways. It never felt like he was a half-brother; he was a part of the family.

"Steadily, he grew more and more powerful. He Digivolved to the Champion Level before any of us. We all became a little afraid he would leave us. Witchmon told him long ago how he was technically 'adopted'. His original caretakers wanted to take him back; we knew it was just because he grew to be so strong. But, secretly, we feared the worst. And then he refused. He told them outright that he wanted to stay with Witchmon. That's when we felt that he truly wanted to stay with us." FlameWizardmon's smile disappeared. "Then Dark Day happened. In one night, I gained the power to Digivolve and become who I am today. But in that same night, I lost my family. Thinking back, I believe my anger and despair is what gave me the strength. Wizardmon disappeared and didn't come back. I never knew he was alive; I just wanted to keep Witchenly safe. I never had the heart to return to Witchmon Manor."

"You guys sound like you were really close." Gatomon noted.

"You remind me of my relationship with my brother Matt." T.K. said.

FlameWizardmon sighed, rubbing his face with his gloved hands. "What have I done? Why did I say those things to him?"

"Brothers fight." Kari assured. "All siblings do at least once in a while. I'm sure he'll forgive you."

"You think so?" FlameWizardmon asked.

"Absolutely." Gatomon assured. "I know Wizardmon; he wouldn't hold a grudge over something like this. He's the kind of person who always cares about people close to him, even if he gets into fights with them."

* * *

><p>Wizardmon lay back on his bed, tossing a ball up in the air and catching it, over and over again. His staff lay propped up in the corner, his hat on the nightstand. He let his thoughts wander a bit, though he tried to focus more on the ball.<p>

_Half-brother. That's what he called me. _Wizardmon thought. _He didn't mean it, right? We used to be so close when we were younger. But I've changed. The loneliness that hardened my heart still remains. Even with all the kindness and friendship I gained, my heart is still like stone. _He caught the ball, but didn't throw it again. He settled his hand on his stomach, the ball rolling from his grip and bouncing down to the floor. The Majin sighed and sat up, crossing his legs and staring at his comforter. _Why did Witchmon keep me? Why did I stay? Why is it that even today, I find it so hard to accept that she loved me as her own? I feel so unworthy of her….like I never should've been accepted by her. _He swung his legs around and stood up, taking his hat and placing it back on his head. Wizardmon journeyed over to the window, staring at the open night sky. He could see Witchenly from his window, and if he walked outside he could see Witchmon Manor up the mountain. He never thought about being homesick before, but now he realized just how much he missed his first real home. Sighing heavily, Wizardmon stepped back and closed the shutters, turning to walk to the door with only a hot bath in mind.

_creak_

Wizardmon paused, turning slowly to look at the window. One of the shutters seemed to open again, allowing in the moonlight. Narrowing his eyes, Wizardmon approached the window and closed the shutter. He turned away, but the shutter creaked open again. Only a very strong wind could push open the heavy shutters, and last Wizardmon checked the night seemed peaceful and quiet. Once again, the Majin advanced towards the window to close it.

He hardly took one step before a shadow lunged for him.

* * *

><p>FlameWizardmon held a tray in his hands as he ascended the stairs, the small platform occupied by a plate of cake and some tea. He figured the least he could do was give a peace offering to start his apology. "Okay." He took a breath as he approached his brother's room. "Okay, just say what you mean. You know what to do." He took another breath, passing a number of doors before reaching Wizardmon's. He kicked the door softly to knock. "Hey Wizardmon? Everyone else is having dessert, and I brought you some." No answer came. "Come on, Wizardmon, please come out. I'm sorry about what I said. I didn't mean it; I was just angry. I think we both said things we regret. Me, probably more than you." He chuckled nervously, then sighed when Wizardmon still didn't say anything. "Look, Wizardmon, I'm really sorry. You know I love you; you're my brother. We're the Impmon Twins of Witchenly. I'm proud of that."<p>

As FlameWizardmon talked, he never realized the struggle happening on the other side of the door. Most of the furniture became overturned in the fight, and currently Wizardmon fought to break free from a large black mass with multiple tentacles, like an octopus. The tentacles wrapped around Wizardmon, constricting his body and one wrapped around his mouth to keep him from shouting. He struggled to reach for his staff, but he always remained just inches away. He couldn't pound on the floor or cry out for help; only listen to FlameWizardmon talking to him.

"Please, please come out." FlameWizardmon half-begged. "I don't want to fight anymore. We're brothers, and we haven't seen each other in a long time. Please come on out." No response came. He sighed in defeat. "Okay. You're mad, I know. I'll leave you alone to think. But I wish you'd come back down. I'll leave the tray here." He set the tray down, close to the door, and turned to walk away.

Wizardmon finally managed to pull his arm around and, despite the creature trying to pull him back, shot a sphere of energy at the door.

FlameWizardmon jumped when a small explosion rang out behind him. He spun around and ran back to his brother's room, noticing the scorch mark in the wall and a good size hole in the door. He peered through and his eyes widened at the sight of the dark creature attacking his brother, already beginning to pull him out of the large hole in the wall where the window once rested. "Wizardmon!" FlameWizardmon tried to open the door, but it was stuck fast. He banged his shoulder against it, not realizing a dresser fell down in front of it. Growling in frustration, FlameWizardmon created a fireball in each hand, shouted in effort, and blasted the door down. He leaped over the desk and smoldering door and dived forward, catching Wizardmon's outstretched arm just as the creature was about to drag him out of the house. FlameWizardmon kept a tight grip on Wizardmon's hand, gritting his teeth as the black monster tried to drag him away.

"Wizardmon, duck!" FlameWizardmon ordered. Wizardmon put his head down and FlameWizardmon summoned another fireball, launching it towards the black creature. The shadow seemed to scream, but suddenly one of its tentacles shot forward and hit FlameWizardmon's face, forcing him to let go of Wizardmon's hand and sending the fire mage flying backwards. He hit the overturned desk and slumped to the floor, groaning in pain.

"FlameWizardmon!" Renamon called. "What's happened?"

"Wizardmon….." FlameWizardmon groaned as he sat up. "The Dark Beast…it got him….."

Rika's eyes widened and she ran to the hole in the wall. She looked all around outside and noticed a shadow moving up a mountain. She jumped down to the ground and ran around the corner of the house, ignoring her friends' shouts to come back. Just as Rika reached the corner and turned to run after her Digimon partner, her foot hit a slippery spot and she tumbled to the ground.

"Rika!" Kari and Gatomon hurried to the girl's side, kneeling down to her.

Rika stared after the shadowy monster, breathing heavily. "Wizardmon…"


	30. Facing the Darkness Within

**Facing the Darkness Within**

"This is all my fault." FlameWizardmon groaned.

"It absolutely is not." Ranamon assured as they marched up the mountain trail.

"I came to the onsen because I was tired and needed refuge." FlameWizardmon said. "I didn't know if I would survive if I hadn't come here. The beast followed me; and now it got my brother."

"Then why are we taking our time?" Davis demanded. "We should be _running_ after that thing!"

"It disappeared without a trace." T.K. said. "We don't know where it went."

"I know." Rika assured in a dark tone. "I can track it; it's made of pure darkness."

"Then let's go get him!" Veemon urged.

"I agree." Palmon said. "Wizardmon saved my life; he healed me after Myotismon hit me with that Nightmare Claw attack. It still haunts my nightmares. Wizardmon saved me, so we have to return the favor."

"I need to _find _the thing first." Rika snapped.

"You guys need to be careful." A Kamemon said.

"Yeah, this could get ugly real fast." A Coronamon said.

"You guys really shouldn't have come." Kari said, turning to look at Renamon, Ranamon, and the small army of Coronamon and Kamemon joining them.

"That creature is dangerous." Renamon said. "It'll destroy you. And Wizardmon is like our own family. We'll do what we can to help him."

"The thing eats darkness." Cody said. "It consumes everything negative about a person: fears, angers, past traumas. We all know Wizardmon has been through plenty of bad experiences to have enough darkness for that thing to eat. Who knows? Maybe spending some time in that thing will help him let go."

"But if we don't save him the Dark Beast will destroy him." FlameWizardmon reminded them.

"That's not going to happen." Gatomon assured, rubbing Wizardmon's staff as it rested in her paws. "I won't let it."

"Okay, I know Rika's tracking this thing, but let's think guys." T.K. said. "FlameWizardmon says the Dark Beast goes somewhere it won't be disturbed so it can eat. Where can it go?"

"There's the entire forest and the mountain, shugah." Ranamon said. "A better question is where _couldn't _it go?"

"It would need to go somewhere it felt comfortable." Kari said.

"I can feel it." Rika said, suddenly stopping and looking up the mountain. "Ghosts aren't the only ones who like that place." Everyone else followed her gaze.

"Oh, no." Yolei breathed.

* * *

><p><em>Flames. Everywhere the fire spread, consuming his home and everything in it. YukimiBotamon desperately used her growing ice powers to stop the fire, and while it helped the monsters still attacked. He coughed in the smoke, fighting to reach his little sister. But suddenly flames shot up again and cut off his path. He spun around to Gigimon, Kapurimon, and Koemon, crying and coughing from the smoke. He lunged for them, but more fire sprung up around him. Soon he was surrounded, the fire everywhere around him. He heard a terrible laughter and spun around to stare in horror at the shadowy figures towering over him.<em>

"_You pathetic creature!" Piedmon laughed. "Did you really think you could stop me? Your 'family' was doomed from the start, and there was nothing you could do about it."_

"_Leave us alone!" he shouted. "Just leave us alone!"_

"_You think you're protected? You will never escape!" Piedmon lunged, his sword aimed for his heart…_

Wizardmon groaned in pain, whimpering a little. Nightmares and terrible visions plagued his mind, all while the Dark Beast restrained him. He only remembered darkness once the beast consumed him, and then the visions followed. All his memories, altered to seem much more horrible; his closest friends and family taunted him, blaming him for their troubles; before his eyes he had to watch them leave and they never came back, no matter how much he screamed or cried.

He was in hell.

* * *

><p>Per Rika's prediction, the DigiDestined found the Dark Beast in the back courtyard, resting while it fed. FlameWizardmon described the creature as able to change shape based on its needs, but at the moment it only looked like a giant black blob. The rescue party hid around the side of the house, discussing a possible battle strategy. They couldn't run in and fight because the beast would either fight back, consume them, or run away; possibly all three. So now, they spoke in hushed voices, coming up with numerous ideas but finding fault in almost all of them.<p>

Gatomon growled, gripping Wizardmon's staff tightly. "We should be going in there! We don't know how long he'll last!"

"We can't just run in there." Patamon said. "It's too risky."

"Well we have to do _something_!" Gatomon hissed. "That's _my _friend in there and I won't—" She gasped softly, and the other DigiDestined Digimon turned to see Witchmon's ghostly form leaning out from around the corner, gesturing for them to come to her. They quickly and silently obeyed, but didn't notice they caught someone's attention. Witchmon led the DigiDestined Digimon to the front of the house and to the front door.

"What's going on?" Armadillomon asked.

"Your human partners and the Rena-Rana Onsen staff are right to take caution." Witchmon said. "But if you do not hurry I fear for my son's life. Go through the house and up to the roof. From there, you can jump off and get a straight shot down into the monster. He'll have no choice but to swallow you. Then you can get Wizardmon."

"What about the others?" Patamon asked. "Shouldn't we ask them to come?"

"No." Witchmon shook her head. "He needs you all now. I must have a talk with the others."

"Okay." Gatomon nodded. "Let's go, guys."

"Not without me."

They all turned to see FlameWizardmon come up to them. "He's my brother; I deserve to go to him and make sure he's okay."

"He's right." Witchmon nodded. "Now go, hurry!"

"Thank you, Witchmon." Gatomon bowed, as did the others, and they hurried into the house.

FlameWizardmon paused to stare at his mother. His eyes became filled with grief and unshed tears. "Mother…."

Witchmon smiled warmly. "Go on, darling. Your brother needs you."

FlameWizardmon nodded and ran off, joining the others in the house. Witchmon floated around the house and appeared behind the DigiDestined and the Rena-Rana staff. Needless to say, they were all shocked to see her ghost. But when she assured them all she meant no harm, they managed to calm down (Davis, not so much).

Meanwhile, FlameWizardmon and the DigiDestined Digimon hurried up to the roof, with the former leading the way. They finally reached the roof and peered down over the edge, unsure if the Dark Beast would see them if it had eyes at all.

"So we just have to jump?" Wormmon guessed, gulping a little.

"Yep." Gatomon nodded. "And if any of you are too scared to then you can go back to the others."

FlameWizardmon smirked as he watched Gatomon take several steps back. "You really care for Wizardmon, don't you?"

Gatomon leveled the staff in her hands, then twirled it and held it behind her. "Absolutely." She suddenly took off, running and leaping off the edge of the building. The others quickly followed, and the seven of them silently fell straight towards the Dark Beast.

Ken noticed first, and he gasped. "Wormmon!" Everyone else gasped in shock, sans Witchmon, as the seven Digimon disappeared inside the Dark Beast.

"Are they nuts?" Yolei gaped.

"No." Witchmon assured. "They're doing what's best for Wizardmon."

"We have to help them." Rika urged.

"No." Witchmon said again.

"Why not?" Cody asked.

"Because I have something to tell you all." Witchmon said. "The Beast will not disturb us if we do not disturb it. While your Digimon help my son, I will tell you what happened on Dark Day."

That caught everyone's attention, and although they all cast worried glances towards the dormant Dark Beast, they settled down and listened to Witchmon talk.

* * *

><p><em>He lay in the road now, completely drained of energy. His mouth and throat felt like sandpaper. The hot sun beat down on him. The sounds all around told him he wasn't alone, but nobody stopped to help him. Then, a small shadow passed over him, and he heard the sound of soft footsteps. Though in pain, he lifted his head to see the outline of a cat in the sun.<em>

"_Please…" he rasped, his throat greatly protesting his speaking. "…..help me….."_

"_Do you have anything for me?" the cat asked. "Any form of payment?"_

"_I…I don't…" he admitted, coughing harshly. "But please…I'll pay you back….somehow…..just please…..help me….."_

"_You won't pay me back." The cat huffed. "You probably deserve to die." She turned on her heel and marched off._

"_No…..please…." he begged, reaching out to the cat. "Gatomon…."_

_His eyes shut, and when he opened them he was standing up, his tiredness gone and his throat no longer scratchy. But he looked up and blinked in surprise to find a reflection of himself, only without a mirror. His reflection mimicked his every movement, but when he reached out and touched his reflection it morphed and changed until a monstrous Dark Splashmon towered over him. He shouted in fear, unable to move from his spot. Dark Splashmon lunged forward, teeth ready to tear him apart…._

Wizardmon gave an anguished cry, fighting to expel the visions and false memories from his head. It was like having a nightmare and waking up from it, over and over again, except every time he "woke up" from one nightmare he would immediately fall into another one. He just wanted it to end. He wanted to wake up and get away from the nightmares. How much longer would this monster plague him with his memories?

* * *

><p>Gatomon perked up at Wizardmon's shout. "This way!" She took off in one direction, the others following close.<p>

"How is it we landed in almost a labyrinth?" Hawkmon wondered. "We're in a living creature. Right?"

"Who knows?" FlameWizardmon shrugged. "Just stay alert. This thing could grab you at any time."

As if on cue, a black vine-like thing shot towards them. Gatomon jumped up towards it and shouted _"Lighting Claw!" _and sliced it to pieces.

"Nice save, Gatomon." Patamon complimented.

"Nothing's going to stop me." Gatomon assured. "Come on, this way." She led the way as they continued on.

"You have such admirable dedication, Gatomon." Wormmon noted.

"Yeah, Wizardmon's really lucky." Armadillomon said.

Gatomon smiled softly. "I owe him one; a big one." Suddenly, they stopped at reaching a fork in the road.

"Now which way?" Veemon asked.

Gatomon gasped softly when the sun ornament on Wizardmon's staff began to glow. She held it up and pointed it in either direction, noting how it glowed brighter when she pointed it directly in the middle. "What does it want us to do?" Patamon asked. "Punch right through the wall?"

"Yep." Gatomon nodded. "FlameWizardmon? Care to do the honors?"

"My pleasure." FlameWizardmon took the red orbed staff from his hip, spinning it around. _"Magical Ignition!" _Sparks shot from his staff and exploded into the wall, breaking it down and creating a hole for them to go through. The Digimon hurried through, jumping when the hole closed up behind them. When they turned to look around the room, they gasped in shock and a little horror. The area had a dome ceiling and completely empty, save for the cross that stood in the center of the spacious room. Black lengths of what looked like vines snaked around the arms and legs of a figure on the cross, keeping him firmly planted there with his arms spread.

"Wizardmon." Gatomon breathed.

* * *

><p>"Wizardmon knew he wasn't really my son; that I didn't create him with my magic like I did my other children." Witchmon sighed, a fond smile on her face. "He's such a smart boy. When I finally told him the truth, he seemed upset and started drifting away from us. But my fears disappeared when his original caretakers came to claim him, and he chose to stay with me and my family. I felt so honored, and so proud, to have him as an apprentice of magic and, even better, as a son. It was such a happy time."<p>

"And then Dark Day happened, right?" Rika guessed.

Witchmon nodded, a solemn look on her face. "Wizardmon left to gather herbs for a new potion I was working on."

* * *

><p>"<em>You really don't have to do that, Wizardmon." Witchmon assured. "That witch hazel can be difficult to find."<em>

"_It's not a problem, really." Wizardmon assured, taking the basket from a nearby shelf. "I want to do it. I'll be back soon, I promise."_

"_Very well." Witchmon nodded. "Be back in time for dinner."_

"_I will!" Wizardmon called as he left. "Bye!" Witchmon waved goodbye as he disappeared down the mountain towards the forest._

"I didn't want him to; I thought it would be too much trouble for him to go into the forest hunting for that stuff. But he insisted; only now do I realize that his leaving might have actually saved his life. When the Dark Masters struck, there was little warning."

_Witchmon leaned against a column on the back patio, smiling as she watched her children play in the yard. The young Digimon kicked a ball around, laughing like crazy. Witchmon laughed at the sight, but suddenly the bright sunshine became overcome by a shadow, and the family looked up to see black clouds rolling in towards the town._

"_Children!" Witchmon called, her eyes on the clouds. "All of you get inside!" Her children quickly obeyed, but Impmon and YukimiBotamon paused._

"_Mama-mon?" YukimiBotamon asked. "What's happening?"_

"_Don't worry about it." Witchmon assured. "Just go inside and stay there."_

"_But where's Wizardmon?" Impmon asked. "I saw him leave but he's not back yet."_

_Witchmon stared off in the direction of the forest. "He'll be back soon. Just go." Impmon seemed reluctant, but picked up YukimiBotamon and ran inside. Witchmon took up her broom and mounted it, riding up towards the black clouds. Kuro, her ghostly cat, cowered behind her hat. "Oh Kuro, stop being such a scaredy-cat."_

"_Merow." Kuro whined._

"_Okay, you have a point there." Witchmon admitted. "I feel something very ominous about this."_

"_Witchmon!"_

_The female Majin turned to see a Bakemon with his eyes covered by a black, wide brimmed, pointed hat. "Ah, Soulmon!" Witchmon greeted. "Came to join the party?"_

"_You should go to your children, Witchmon." Soulmon said. "Find your Wizardmon boy. I saw him going out into the forest."_

"_What's coming at us?" Witchmon asked._

_Soulmon looked forward and gasped. "That!"_

_Witchmon followed his gaze and she gasped at the looming shadow coming towards them. She only saw the dark outline, no discernable features whatsoever. But she could tell by the outline who came towards Witchenly._

_Wizardmon, deep in the forest, also felt a sense of foreboding and looked up to see the clouds covering the skies above. Then he saw the shadowy figure and he dropped his basket in shock. "Oh no! Witchmon!" He took off running._

"_Piedmon…." Witchmon breathed, staring at the oncoming attacker and his comrades._

"The Dark Masters saw the Majin Digimon as their only true threat. Majin could put up a good fight. They were more powerful than a typical Digimon. So the Dark Masters came to Witchenly with the intent of destroying us all; to make sure _nobody _stood in their way as they tried to take control of everything. Though I and many others fought back bravely, we only left a dent. I tried to lead them away from the village, to somehow destroy them or beat them back a safe distance from my home and friends. But then, things took a devastating turn when they attacked my own house. The building I created myself to be a home for me and my children, attacked mercilessly by those monsters. I was forced to watch, terrified, as my brave children ran in to fight—to defend me—and each and every one of them were killed before my eyes."

_Witchmon shouted in pain as Piedmon backhanded her, sending her flying through a window and tumbling across the grass outside. Her broom was long since destroyed; Kuro as well. But the female Majin pushed herself to her feet. She glared as Piedmon and Puppetmon advanced toward her, laughing evilly. MetalSeadramon and Machinedramon continued to attack the village of Witchenly at the bottom of the mountain._

"_You are an exceptional fighter, little witch." Piedmon said. "Perhaps you could join me. The two of us could rule the entire Digital World."_

_Witchmon glared hard, her unruly hair hanging in her eyes. "Over my dead body."_

"_Aw, well isn't she testy?" Puppetmon laughed. "Rather die, huh?"_

_Piedmon laughed as well. "Oh, that can be arranged." He raised a sword to strike Witchmon…_

"_No! Leave her alone!"_

_Piedmon, Puppetmon, and Witchmon turned to see Wizardmon standing off to one side, holding his sun-topped staff ready. But the wand shook fiercely in the Majin's trembling hands as Wizardmon stared with wide eyes at two of the Dark Masters. The two evil Digimon were like monsters from a nightmare, thoroughly terrifying the younger Majin. He heard stories about their ruthlessness, and truthfully he wasn't sure he wanted to go up against them. He forced himself to stay, wracking his brain for a plan to get him and Witchmon out of there._

"_Would you like to die first?" Piedmon asked, chuckling at the sight of Wizardmon shaking._

"_Don't touch him!" Witchmon ordered, her heart rising into her throat._

"_Well, isn't this a turn of events." Piedmon mused. "Is this little Majin precious to you?" In a flash, Piedmon suddenly appeared by Wizardmon's side and grabbed the smaller Digimon's arm, twisting it painfully behind his back. Piedmon smirked evilly, putting his blade to the smaller Digimon's throat. Wizardmon froze, still as stone and completely petrified from fear. Witchmon stood hurriedly, but could only glare and clench her fists. Piedmon chuckled. "Ah, so he _does _mean something to you. It's a shame he's such a worthless little Digimon."_

"_He is more of a Digimon than you will ever be." Witchmon growled._

_Piedmon laughed cruelly. "Oh really? If he is so great, should he not be able to escape from me? Look at him; he cowers in my grip. He shakes so fiercely." Piedmon used his sword to push down Wizardmon's cowl. He pressed his sword under Wizardmon's jaw, the sharp blade grazing his throat. The young Majin trembled, fighting the whimper in his throat._

"_W-Witchmon?" Wizardmon gulped, fighting to stay still so he wouldn't get cut._

"_It's all right, sweetheart." Witchmon assured, putting on a soft smile. "Everything's going to be okay."_

_Puppetmon laughed mockingly. "You shouldn't lie, Witchmon! Your nose will grow."_

_Witchmon huffed indignantly. "I do not lie, Puppetmon. I'm going to make sure my final child walks away from this even if I do not."_

"_How very brave of you, Witchmon." Piedmon mused. "But you are foolish to put so much faith in this boy."_

"_He is far stronger than you." Witchmon claimed. "And much more powerful."_

"_I bet he's never killed somebody." Puppetmon teased. "Probably wouldn't squash a bug even if it were buzzing right in his ear."_

"_That only proves he is stronger." Witchmon snapped._

"_Really?" Piedmon chuckled. "Well then. Why don't we put that to the test? Puppetmon."_

_The wooden puppet chuckled darkly, tucking his hammer into a sheath on his back. He raised his hands, and Piedmon released Wizardmon only for the Majin to discover he still could not move. His hand suddenly moved on its own, taking the sword Piedmon offered him._

"_Go on, Wizardmon." Piedmon gently pushed Wizardmon forward. "Kill her."_

_Wizardmon's eyes widened. "No…no, I won't!"_

"_I think you will!" Puppetmon laughed, pulling on the strings that controlled the Majin. Wizardmon yelped as he was suddenly pulled forward, straight towards Witchmon. Puppetmon forced him to send a blast from his sun-topped wand, the blow hitting Witchmon squarely in the chest and forcing her backwards several feet. She fell to her knees, clutching her chest where the blast hit. Wizardmon unwillingly moved forward, Piedmon's sword still in hand. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop himself as he advanced towards Witchmon._

"_Please!" Wizardmon begged, hating how helpless and weak he sounded. "I'll do anything! Just leave her alone!"_

"_If you're really so strong and kind, just don't kill her." Piedmon taunted._

_Wizardmon finally reached Witchmon, Puppetmon forcing him to raise the sword to his caretaker's chest and over her heart. Tears sprung up in his eyes, locking his gaze onto Witchmon's kind, sparkling blue orbs._

"_Be brave, my little imp." Witchmon whispered, making sure only her son heard. "I promise you, things are going to work out. Be strong, be brave, and never give up." Wizardmon allowed the tears to fall, wanting desperately to throw the sword he held at Piedmon's head._

"_This is getting boring." Piedmon sighed. "Puppetmon."_

"_My pleasure, Lord Piedmon." Puppetmon chuckled, pulling some of the strings on his fingers. Before Wizardmon could react, his hand suddenly pushed the sword into Witchmon's chest and pierced her heart. She gasped, coughing up blood, as her body began to dissolve and her data begin disappear. Wizardmon stared in horror, stepping back as Puppetmon released his control over the Majin. Witchmon fell backwards, still dissolving. But when she looked to Wizardmon, she only smiled softly._

"_I love you, my child." Witchmon's voice echoed in Wizardmon's head._

_Witchmon finally dissolved to nothingness. As blackness consumed her vision, she heard a familiar voice that made her tear up in happiness._

"Impmon Digivolve to…FlameWizardmon!"

* * *

><p><em>He stood in a sort of grassy area, but further observation revealed it was the island Myotismon used as a hideout during his attack on Odaiba. Then he turned and saw 8-year-old Kari and Rika, Gatomon between them.<em>

"_Why did you have to give your life for us?" Gatomon demanded, her tone angry yet sad at the same time. "We never asked you to do that."_

"_I was only trying to protect you." He said._

"_Then you should've used your powers to do it." Kari said. "You're supposed to be a powerful Majin, right? You're not really protecting us if you're dead."_

"_But I—"_

"_You failed us, Wizardmon." Rika said. "You're just as evil and dark as Myotismon."_

"_That's not true!" he insisted. "There are very few people as evil as Myotismon."_

"_Then why do you serve him?" Gatomon demanded. "You said you fought by my side, not his. Yet here you are, acting as that monster's faithful servant."_

"_He's the one who wanted you to find me." Rika reminded him. "And you never even put up a fight."_

"_You're lying!" he shouted. "Everything I've done I did for you!"_

"_Oh really?"_

_He froze, a chill snaking up his spine, and he turned to see Myotismon towering over him._

"_You will always serve me." Myotismon laughed cruelly. "You are my slave, and you always will be."_

"_No, I won't!" he shouted. "I will never serve you again!"_

"_Then you will only know pain." Myotismon took the ends of his cape and pulled them in. _"Grisly Wing!"

_An angry swam of bats shot towards him. All he could do was scream as they tore at his skin._

* * *

><p>"How are we supposed to get him down?" Patamon asked. They all stared at their captured friend. The black vines wrapped around his arms, legs, and stomach, continuing to spread as though alive.<p>

"We have to do something fast." Armadillomon said. "But if we attack those vine things the Dark Beast might attack us."

"Well then what are we going to do?" Wormmon asked.

"Perhaps we can cut it." Hawkmon suggested. _"Feather Strike!" _He threw his feather ornament, sending it spinning towards the vines. The sharp feather managed to slice through the bonds around one of Wizardmon's arms, but when the ornament came back around like a boomerang the Digimon gasped in shock to see the vines growing back in seconds.

"Well that didn't work." Patamon sighed. "Anybody else?"

"Maybe we need to destroy the cross." Armadillomon suggested. "Let me try. _Diamond Shell!" _He rolled up like a typical armadillo and spun towards the base of the cross. But he ricocheted off it and came bouncing back. He uncurled himself and held his head, groaning a little.

"This is getting us nowhere!" Gatomon growled. "Wizardmon! Can you hear us?" Wizardmon still didn't move, his head hung.

"You think he's…" Veemon gulped. "You know, dead?"

"Of course not!" Gatomon screamed. "Don't even think about thinking that!"

"Gatomon, you need to stay calm or we'll never get him down." FlameWizardmon soothed.

Gatomon growled under her breath, staring at her captured friend. "Wizardmon…please hang on….."

* * *

><p>"What happened that day released an ancient and destructive power within Wizardmon. Controlled by his power, he was able to drive the Dark Masters away and they never bothered us again." Witchmon finished. "But the victory came at a high price. Wizardmon never returned to Witchenly; as far as everyone knew, he was dead."<p>

"Poor Wizardmon." Kari sighed. "That's just so terrible."

"Yeah, the poor guy lost everything he knew in a single night." Davis sighed.

Ranamon sniffed, wiping the tears from her eyes. "That day…..it was a living nightmare. It was absolutely horrible."

Ken looked towards the Dark Beast, still resting in the same place. "They've been in there for a long time. How do we know they're okay?"

"The Dark Beast would've moved on to keep feeding if he finished already." Witchmon assured.

Rika suddenly shouted in frustration and punched the ground. "How long are we supposed to just sit here?"

"You must have faith in them." Witchmon said. "They will return to us soon." She smiled at Rika. "I know you care deeply for my Wizardmon. And it is because you care so much that I know they will all come back."

Rika's gaze softened. "You think so?"

"I know so." Witchmon nodded. Everyone relaxed, though only very slightly, and they resumed their staring at the Dark Beast.

* * *

><p><em>Now, Wizardmon stood in a large white space. He tried to not look down at his feet; the feeling of vertigo from not seeing the ground made him dizzy and a little sick to his stomach. But the feeling of sickness came as almost a relief after all the terror he experienced.<em>

"_Wizardmon."_

_The Majin turned, prepared for more pain, and found an 8-year-old Rika. Somehow, the little girl version of his human partner showed up an awful lot. "Rika. What are you doing here?"_

"_Why did you give your life for me?" Rika asked, sadness in her tone. "You left me. I was so scared. I was never worth it; so why did you do it?"_

"_You are worth _everything _to me." Wizardmon said firmly._

"_But you made us sad when you died."_

_He blinked in surprise when Gatomon and 8-year-old Kari appeared next. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."_

"_Why can't you see how much we care about you?" Kari asked, sadness in her tone as well._

"_We don't want you to give your life for us." Gatomon said sorrowfully. "We just want you to live. We're all behind you."_

_Suddenly, the rest of the DigiDestined appeared, old and new, and formed a circle around the Majin. Though now surrounded, Wizardmon felt more at ease now. Everyone smiled at him, their auras radiating with warmth and happiness. Wizardmon allowed a smile to spread under his cowl._

_Suddenly, a dark blast of energy shot down and hit Matt, Tai, Izzy, and their Digimon partners. They screamed in pain as they suddenly disintegrated to nothing. Wizardmon's eyes widened in horror as Piedmon suddenly appeared, laughing cruelly._

"_You think they'll really stand with you?" Piedmon taunted. "They hate you! They've always hated you! How could _anybody _love or care for someone like you?"_

_A roar rang out, and Dark Splashmon showed up next. With a furious swipe of his claws, he destroyed Sora, Mimi, Joe, and their Digimon. They screamed in pain and disappeared. The terrified screams made Wizardmon wince, and his heart broke._

"_No stop!" Wizardmon shouted. "Stop hurting them!"_

"_You hurt them with your very presence." Dark Splashmon growled, his voice demonic and menacing as his physical features. "You Dark Digivolved into a monster and almost killed your 'friends.' You truly think they still want you around? They hate you!"_

"_No they don't!" Wizardmon insisted. "They don't hate me!"_

"_Of course they do." Arukenimon and Mummymon, in their Digimon forms, came up next. "They tolerate you; it's not like they care." The two of them launched their attacks, and bloodcurdling screams rang out as they brutally killed Davis, Cody, Yolei, Ken, T.K., and their Digimon. Wizardmon turned to Kari, Rika, and Gatomon, the only ones still alive. But then, Wizardmon gasped in terror at the sight of Myotismon behind the two girls._

"_You failed them all, my faithful servant." Myotismon chuckled darkly. "They'll hate you forever."_

"_No….." Wizardmon's voice came out much weaker than he would've liked. "They…they don't…."_

"_Wizardmon." Rika whimpered. "Please help us." Before Wizardmon could respond, Myotismon suddenly produced a sharp dagger in each hand and stabbed them down into Rika and Kari's backs. The little girls screeched in pain as they fell, landing in puddles of their own blood. Wizardmon wanted to run forward, but his feet stayed firmly planted in the ground. Gatomon still stood, staring at Wizardmon with an emotionless gaze._

"_Gatomon?" Wizardmon breathed. The white cat seemed to glare at him, and her body began to glow in a black light._

"_Gatomon Digivolve to…Black Angewomon."_

_Wizardmon stepped back a bit in fear as a new Digimon stood in Gatomon's place. Though she looked identical to Angewomon, her white clothing and wings turned pure black, even her helmet. Her purple sash was now blood red. Her golden hair no longer held its radiant beauty._

"_You deserve to die, you pathetic creature." Black Angewomon said. "You must die here."_

"_You put all you care about in danger." Dark Splashmon said._

"_You're a servant of a monster, and that's all you'll ever be." Arukenimon laughed._

"_You're a freak!" Mummymon added._

"_An evil servant of darkness." Myotismon said._

"_You don't deserve love because you yourself are not capable of it." Piedmon chuckled darkly._

"_You must die now, Wizardmon." Black Angewomon's glove conformed to her bow, and she pulled back the bow string and created an arrow out of black energy. _"Arrow of Darkness!"

_The black shot of energy came towards him, while all his enemies just laughed at him._

_Wizardmon screamed in agony._

* * *

><p>The Digimon inside the Dark Beast jumped as Wizardmon's scream rang out. The room shook like a massive earthquake, forcing them all to hit the ground. Black stones inexplicably fell from the ceiling and dust erupted all round, clouding their vision.<p>

Everyone else outside jumped as a surge of dark energy burst from the Dark Beast, forcing them to fall flat on their backs and stomachs. Witchmon's ghost disappeared. Rika stared in horror at the Dark Beast.

"Wizardmon!" She screamed. "No!"

Inside the Dark Beast, the Digimon coughed a bit from the dust as they stood.

"Can anybody explain to me how we're inside a living creature and yet we almost got crushed by bricks?" Hawkmon groaned.

"This is too weird." Patamon sighed. "Even for Digimon."

Gatomon gasped in horror, and everyone turned to see what she noticed. When they did, they all gasped as well. The cross with Wizardmon on it still stood, but now the black vines encased the mage in a sort of cocoon. The black encasing began to glow.

"Oh that can't be good." FlameWizardmon gulped.

"Wizardmon!" Gatomon shouted. "We have to get him out of there!"

"How?" Veemon asked.

"Any way we can." Gatomon pushed Wizardmon's staff into FlameWizardmon's hands and jumped towards the black cocoon. _"Lightning Claw!" _She slashed her claws, but suddenly a bolt of black lightning shot forward and hit the white cat. She hit the ground, groaning a little in pain. The other Digimon gathered around her.

"You okay?" Patamon asked worriedly.

Gatomon shoved him away, growling to herself. "I'm fine. I have to go help him."

"Gatomon, no." FlameWizardmon held her back, but jumped when she smacked his hand away. "It's too dangerous."

"I don't care." Gatomon snarled. "Even if I die trying, I'm getting him out."

"What, are you in love with him?" Veemon huffed. He jumped and cowered behind Hawkmon when Gatomon snarled at him.

"Wizardmon made more of an impact on my life than anyone else." Gatomon growled. "Only Kari could come close to matching that impact. I can't abandon him now; not after everything that happened." She looked down, her glare turning a little more sorrowful. "I used to hurt him; a lot. When I first recruited him to be a part of Myotismon's army, I actually threatened him. He would approach me and I struck him a few times. Even after all that, after everything I did to him, he told me he fought by my side no matter what." She took Wizardmon's staff back in her paws, rubbing it. "So I'm going to fight by his side to the very end."

Much to everyone's surprise, Wizardmon's staff began to glow in a bright blue light. Gatomon stared, feeling as though the energy from the staff flowed through her as well. She looked up at the black cocoon, noticing how it glowed even brighter. Gatomon glared in determination, standing with Wizardmon's staff in her paws. She ran forward and leaped high into the air with all her strength, spinning Wizardmon's staff around. She thrust the sun-topped weapon towards her trapped friend.

"_Magical Game!" _She cried, and a burst of blue lightning shot from the staff. It hit the black cocoon and the Digimon shielded their eyes at the bright light and explosion that followed. Gatomon landed perfectly on the ground, smiling proudly. The light died to reveal Wizardmon, now free of his cocoon…and falling off the cross.

"We got him! We got him!" Veemon, Hawkmon, Patamon, Armadillomon, and Wormmon ran about, trying to catch the falling Majin. FlameWizardmon and Gatomon winced as Wizardmon suddenly fell on top of the other Digimon, plowing them to the ground.

"He got us." Patamon groaned painfully.

* * *

><p>"That does it!" Ranamon jumped to her feet. "I can't just sit here anymore."<p>

"Neither can I." Renamon joined her friend.

"Let's show this Dark Beast what for!" a Coronamon cheered.

"Yeah!" the Kamemon chimed in.

"But what if you get hurt?" Yolei asked worriedly.

"It's worth it for a friend." Renamon assured. The Rena-Rana Onsen staff charged in, with the human DigiDestined cheering them on.

"_Dark Vapor!" _Ranamon shot a cloud of black mist.

"_Fox Leaf Arrowhead!" _Renamon summoned a cloud of glowing white shards, shooting them towards the Dark Beast.

"_Pointer Arrow!" _the Kamemon threw arrow-shaped missiles.

"_Corona Knuckle!" _The Coronamon lunged forward, fists aflame and punching the Dark Beast. The evil creature screeched and tentacles formed, shooting around and swiping at its attackers.

"You think they can handle it?" Cody asked worriedly. "What if our Digimon get hurt? They're still inside!"

"We can't do much else for now." Kari said.

"Kari's right." T.K. said. "We can just jump in there; we'll only cause more problems. They'll get out, I know they will."

* * *

><p>"Get him off!" Veemon groaned. FlameWizardmon and Gatomon hurried over and helped roll Wizardmon over to his back. The Digimon gathered around the motionless Majin, staring worriedly. Then, Wizardmon groaned a little and his eyes opened.<p>

"Wizardmon." Gatomon hugged her friend, happy tears in her eyes. "You're okay!"

"Yeah, let's go with that." Wizardmon groaned painfully as he sat up.

"Hey bro!" FlameWizardmon pulled the blonde Majin into a comforting side-hug. "You're alive!"

"Are you feeling all right?" Hawkmon asked.

"What did you see?" Armadillomon added. "Sounded like something bad."

Wizardmon looked down. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, what's important is that you're okay now." Patamon said.

Wizardmon seemed to just realize they all stood around him. "What are you all doing here?"

"We came to help you." Gatomon said. "When the Dark Beast dragged you away we knew we needed to come after you."

"But it's insanely dangerous." Wizardmon protested. "You should've left me behind."

"What, are you crazy?" Patamon scoffed. "We'd _never _leave you behind!"

"But I'm a danger to you all." Wizardmon said. "This Dark Beast chose to feed on me because of the darkness and evil inside me. I won't put you all in danger; I must fight it alone."

"Well that's a little sad." Armadillomon noted.

"Yeah" Veemon agreed. "You gotta stop thinking you have to do everything on your own. We're here for you."

"Even after all the trouble I caused?" Wizardmon sighed.

"You never caused any trouble." FlameWizardmon assured.

"You've been a great part of our team." Wormmon added. "You and Rika have become a part of our family."

"Well maybe, but…" Wizardmon looked down. He knew he couldn't tell them the real reason he felt this way. The guilt weighed too heavily on his shoulders; not to mention he just _didn't _want to deal with that constricting force on his throat.

"What is it?" Gatomon asked.

"Well, I guess I don't know how I feel about being a part of this family." Wizardmon shrugged. "I've never known what it's like to have such close friends. I know it sounds silly, but I don't know what to do in a family."

"That's easy." Veemon waved it off. "When you're in a family, you look out for one another."

"You hang out and play together." Patamon said. "Having fun."

"You may get into fights now and then." Hawkmon shrugged. "But you don't stay mad for long."

"You eat meals together." Armadillomon said.

"Go on family outings." Gatomon added.

"When someone falls another helps." Wormmon said. "We love each other."

"Set each other on fire." FlameWizardmon smirked. His smile disappeared when everyone else stared at him with raised eyebrows. "What? You don't do that? What kind of family do _you _live with?"

Wizardmon still kept his eyes on the ground. "I guess I'm still not used to the idea."

"You will." Gatomon pushed Wizardmon's staff into his hands. "No worries."

Wizardmon looked around at each Digimon sitting beside him. He smiled softly. "I have a lot to learn, don't I?"

"You are a bit of slow learner anyhow." Veemon shrugged.

Wizardmon rolled his eyes and shoved Veemon to the ground. They all laughed, but suddenly jumped when the Dark Beast screeched, as though in pain. Wizardmon noticed multiple black vines shooting down towards them, and glared hard. He took his staff in his gloved hand, spun in around, and slammed the end of the wand into the ground. Lightning shot from the sun ornament, destroying the vines. The Digimon stood ready, waiting for more attacks.

"Renamon, Ranamon, and the rest of the staff must be attacking the Dark Beast." Wizardmon said. "There's no way they're just sitting around."

"I think you're right." FlameWizardmon nodded. "But there's something else. I don't think it was a coincidence that the Dark Beast seemed in pain while we laughed."

"What do you mean?" Gatomon asked.

"Think about it." FlameWizardmon reasoned. "This thing is made up of everything dark and evil in this world; everything negative about ourselves. So we need to attack it with everything _positive _about ourselves!"

"That sounds logical." Hawkmon agreed. "Now how to weaponize it."

"Well, think positive things!" FlameWizardmon said, his mind racing. "Who do you love most in the world?"

"Huh?" the others stared at the fire mage. They gasped when the Dark Beast screeched and shook again.

"Trust me!" FlameWizardmon urged. "Who do you hold closest to your heart?"

"That's easy." Gatomon said with a smile. "Kari and Wizardmon. They're my best friends; my family. I'll always protect them."

"I like to think that I love many people." Armadillomon said. "But I _will _admit that my favorites are Cody, his grandfather, and his mom."

"Oh! I love Davis and his mom!" Veemon jumped up and down excitedly. "I mean, I kind of like his sister and his dad is great. But it's his mom who does all the great cooking!" Everyone laughed at the comment, and the Dark Beast screeched again.

"You think we can beat this thing with happy thoughts?" Patamon asked hopefully.

"Maybe not beat it." FlameWizardmon admitted. "But with the Rena-Rana staff pounding away and us thinking like this, we can weaken it enough to destroy it."

"Then let's keep it up!" Wormmon urged. "I love Ken and his family! And Rika too! She's so nice! And I love all of you guys." The others laughed again, and Veemon pulled Wormmon into a hug.

"I can feel this thing getting weaker." Wizardmon said. "A little bit more and we can literally blast out of here."

"What do you guys like to do for fun?" Patamon asked. "I like to hang out with T.K."

"Davis and I play soccer all the time!" Veemon said. The Dark Beast continued to screech with every happy memory.

"Cody and I go to a park near his apartment almost every weekend." Armadillomon said. "It's really fun!"

"Kari has a perfect spot in her room where I can lay in the sun for a catnap." Gatomon purred.

"I like setting stuff on fire." FlameWizardmon said, earning strange looks from everyone. "What? I'm a pyromaniac; I'm not afraid to admit that."

Wizardmon looked down. "Rika and I go to her family grave every year on the anniversary of the fire. It gets a little sad, but it's still pretty fun. We spend the entire day together, doing things we used to do before…" He sighed heavily, but put on a determined look. "I will never forget that night. But it doesn't make me sad anymore; it keeps me going. It gives me a reason to fight when every other reason fails."

"That's a good reason to fight." Patamon nodded. "We all have something that keeps us from giving up."

"Yeah!" Veemon shouted to the ceiling. "Hear that, Dark Beast? We'll never give up! We believe in ourselves and each other, so we'll never lose! You don't stand a chance!"

The Dark Beast gave its loudest screech. Wizardmon turned and focused on a specific area of the wall. "Armadillomon. Your shell as hard as you say?"

"Sure." Armadillomon nodded.

"Then smash into the wall over there." Wizardmon pointed the spot he stared at. "Everyone, stay close to him. We're getting out of here!"

"Let's go, guys!" Armadillomon curled into a ball and started spinning. _"Diamond Shell!" _The Digimon shot forward, staying close behind Armadillomon, as the hard-shelled Digimon smashed through the wall and they all broke out to the other side.

"Look!" Davis pointed as their Digimon ran towards them.

"I can't believe that actually worked!" FlameWizardmon cheered as the Digimon ran to their respective partners, hugging them tightly.

"The stress you put on me is seriously going to shorten my lifespan." Rika sighed, holding Wizardmon close.

Wizardmon sighed heavily, smiling softly. "Well, now we're even."

They turned with gasps as Renamon and Ranamon suddenly hit the ground. The Kamemon and Coronamon scrambled behind them, cowering in fear as the Dark Beast screeched again, towering over them.

"Now what do we do?" Renamon asked no one in particular.

"That thing's too powerful!" Ranamon added.

"Then let's Digivolve our Digimon and fight it!" Davis urged.

"No."

Everyone gasped softly as Witchmon appeared, this time joined by the spirits of her children: YukimiBotamon, Kapurimon, Koemon, and Gigimon. "Leave this to us." Witchmon ordered, the five spirits approaching the Dark Beast.

"We can handle this." Kapurimon assured.

"Yeah, no problem." Gigimon growled.

"Wizardmon, let's go." FlameWizardmon urged, jogging after his deceased mother.

Wizardmon nodded, but Rika tightened her grip on his hand. "Don't worry, Rika. It'll be okay." He gently pushed her hand away and joined his family. Everyone else watched, awestruck and a little worried, as the little family bravely walked up to the Dark Beast. The monster roared, its form shifting as though ready to change shape again.

"I summon the power of Angewomon!" Witchmon called, raising her hands. _"Heaven's Charm!" _Gatomon suddenly began to glow, and the glow came forth to form a circle in front of Witchmon and her children. The Dark Beast reared back, screeching again. "Now, my children! Combine your attacks!"

"Let's do it!" Koemon cheered.

"_Diamond Dust!" _YukimiBotamon sharply exhaled a blast of freezing air.

"_Howling Hertz!" _A resonating energy formed between Kapurimon's two horns, and it launched forward.

"_Hot Bite!" _Gigimon's mouth filled with embers, and he spit them out.

"_Baby Sling!" _Koemon shot numerous pachinko balls from his slingshot.

"_Fire Cloud!" _FlameWizardmon put his two staffs together and spun them around, shooting a fiery cloud.

"_Magical Game!" _Wizardmon launched his signature attack. The attacks gathered in the circle of light, and Witchmon prepared her own attack.

"_Baluluna Gale!" _Witchmon thrust her hands forward, and a twister formed and shot through the light circle, carrying all the attacks towards the Dark Beast. They made contact, and the dark creature screeched in pain before disintegrating into nothing. For a moment, there was only silence. Then, the DigiDestined and the Rena-Rana staff erupted into cheers. They jumped and shouted in joy, some of them dancing around happily. Then, shots of light made them pause and look up. Streams of light, like comets, shot up from the mountain and disappeared into the sky, off over the horizon.

"What's happening?" Yolei breathed.

"The Dark Beast is gone." Witchmon said. "The ghosts of Dark Day and beyond are now free to be reborn in Primary Village." She and her deceased children turned to the Rena-Rana staff and the DigiDestined. "You all fought bravely and risked much to help Witchenly. Thank you. You DigiDestined should be proud; you are wonderful guardians of our world. We owe you much." Witchmon looked to FlameWizardmon. "You have made me very proud, my little pyromaniac. You guard your home well."

FlameWizardmon puffed out his chest a little, blinking his tears away. "Thank you, Mother."

Witchmon smiled warmly and approached her blonde son. "Wizardmon. My little boy. You've changed; you're not the same little apprentice I knew. It's so wonderful to see you found these people. They look like a nice group of kids. And you protect them well. I hope you never think that it was your fault for what happened to me."

Wizardmon looked down. "I killed you."

"Puppetmon and Piedmon killed me." Witchmon said firmly. "And they took away my family. You fought bravely, and helped drive our enemies away." The female Majin smiled. "I'm so proud of you."

Wizardmon locked eyes with Witchmon, smiling. "Thank you…..Mama-mon…"

Witchmon sighed, tears in her eyes now. "That's the first time you called me that."

"I always saw you as my mother." Wizardmon assured. "I was just…..afraid."

"It's okay, Wizardmon-nīsan." YukimiBotamon said. "We love you anyway."

"Yeah, nothing's going to change that." Koemon assured.

"We're proud to call you our brother." Kapurimon said.

"We love you, Wizardmon." Gigimon cooed. "We miss you!"

"I miss you too." Wizardmon said. "All of you."

"We'll be back." Witchmon assured.

"Really?" FlameWizardmon asked excitedly.

"Of course!" Witchmon waved it off. "We'll be reconfigured soon enough, and once I Digivolve back to my Witchmon form I'm coming back here to rebuild my house. It's so messy now!" She smiled at her still-living sons. "Will you two come by for tea when I finish?"

"Absolutely." FlameWizardmon nodded.

"Wouldn't miss it." Wizardmon promised.

Witchmon smiled, floating up to Wizardmon. "Always remember, my little imp, that even when I am gone you will always have a family there that loves you. You just have to open your eyes and see it."

Wizardmon looked back at the DigiDestined before turning to smile at Witchmon again. "I won't forget. Never again."

Witchmon smiled warmly, her eyes sparkling. "I know you won't. And on the off-chance you do, I am happy to know there will always be someone to remind you." She gently placed her hand on Wizardmon's cheek, and miraculously it actually made contact. Wizardmon allowed his tears to flow silently as he reached up to put his hand over Witchmon's. Then, the female Majin and her deceased children turned into white comets and disappeared, over to Primary Village. FlameWizardmon came up to his brother, putting a hand on his shoulder. The two Majin just stared after their family, continuing to smile.

* * *

><p>Wizardmon and FlameWizardmon laughed and clapped to the beat of the music, watching the Digimon and humans dancing in the town square. As thanks for saving Witchenly, the townspeople declared the day to be a holiday in the honor of the DigiDestined and the Rena-Rana staff for their bravery in fighting the Dark Beast. Now, they gathered for a boisterous party beneath the stars with music, food, and plenty of talking and laughter.<p>

FlameWizardmon glanced over at his brother, a smile permanently etched onto his sewn lips. "You know, I've been thinking."

"That's awfully dangerous." Wizardmon joked.

FlameWizardmon rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, _so _funny." They laughed good-heartedly. "But seriously, I was thinking about something. If you wanted to, of course. You and Rika could always come back and live in Witchenly. This is your home still. And Rika is more than welcome to come."

"Really?" Wizardmon asked.

"Sure, why not?" FlameWizardmon shrugged. "It's pretty cool to have a human for a sister. She's pretty cute, too."

Wizardmon rolled his eyes. "Oh brother of mine."

FlameWizardmon laughed. "But seriously. What do you say? You wanna stick around? We can find a nice home for us all and it'll be great. We can protect Witchenly as a team."

Wizardmon looked out and stared at Rika as she danced with another Majin. She looked so happy as the Digimon spun her around, and Wizardmon couldn't help but think back to the dance he shared with her so long ago. His gaze traveled to the other DigiDestined. "Thanks, FlameWizardmon. But my place is with Rika. And we belong with the DigiDestined. We have a job to do: something big threatens the DigiWorld, and we have to save it. If you want, _you _could join _us _and fight the evil that threatens the world."

FlameWizardmon chuckled. "Thanks. That sounds very exciting. But you have your place, and I have mine. Mine's right here, protecting my home. Just promise you and Rika will visit more often; don't be such strangers."

"Promise." Wizardmon nodded.

FlameWizardmon smirked, putting an arm around Wizardmon's shoulders in a side-hug. Wizardmon returned it, and the two Majin Digimon continued to stare out at the party.

* * *

><p><strong>Fun fact: fhe Rena-Rana Onsen staff was mostly based on Digimon seen in other Digimon series:<strong>

**Renamon (Digimon Tamers)  
>Ranamon (Digimon Frontier)<br>Kamemon (Digimon Data Squad)  
>Coronamon (Digimon Fusion)<strong>


	31. Cody Takes a Stand

**Episode 35: Cody Takes a Stand**

One would not find much activity in the snowy mountains around the Digital World. Usually just fights between Digimon or if some were crazy enough to host a party up there. But if one dared to venture close enough, they would notice a great skirmish in a mountainous, snowy region in the northern part of the Digital World. Arukenimon sent her ice wizard servant Sorcermon off to find the DigiDestined and destroy them while she and Mummymon searched for another Destiny Stone. Only after Sorcermon disappeared the evil pair of Digimon ran into trouble with the native Digimon on the mountain.

"I love a good fox hunt." Mummymon snickered. "Even if in this case the foxes really are Mojyamon." He laughed evilly as he blasted and ice chunks and towards the ape-like Digimon, making them scatter.

Arukenimon easily knocked aside the bone boomerangs the Mojyamon used to attack her. "You abominable snow-brains. Your attacks are useless against us." As if to prove her point, she blew her Acid Mist and forced the Mojyamon to fall.

"Just tell us where the Destiny Stone is. It's obvious you're not match for—" A set of five claws interrupted Mummymon as they knocked him to the ground before retracting to their owners. Arukenimon and Mummymon looked up to see the DigiDestined arrived.

_That darned Sorcermon! He was supposed to find them and stop them! _Arukenimon growled to herself.

"Sorry to interrupt!" Paildramon laughed. "You were saying?"

Silphymon smirked as it waved its arms around to form a familiar red sphere of energy. _"Static Force!" _Arukenimon shouted in pain as the attack knocked her backwards. The Mojyamon hurried away with some coaxing from Rika and Wizardmon. The rest of the DigiDestined stood a safe distance from the fight.

"I knew those Mojyamon weren't smart enough to hide the Destiny Stone on their own." Arukenimon huffed. "Now where is it?"

"Do you think I'm really that stupid that I'd just tell you where we hid it?" Davis scoffed. A sudden pounding sound reached their ears, and they all turned in the direction the sound came from. Though at first mistaken to be an avalanche, they all realized it sounded more like galloping.

"Now who could that be all the way up here in the north?" Mummymon wondered aloud.

"Something tells me it isn't Santa Claus!" Patamon gulped.

Wizardmon tensed up. "Uh oh."

"It's never good when you say 'uh oh'." Rika groaned.

She was right. Mere seconds after her comment a familiar black shape burst through some ice and came flying right towards them.

"It's BlackWarGreymon!" Kari gasped.

"Simple-minded fools." BlackWarGreymon growled. "No matter where you hide the Destiny Stone I can find it. I can sense where it is instinctively. _Terra Destroyer!" _Everyone jumped as the large energy blast hit a seemingly random ice block. Much to the DigiDestined's disappointment, Arukenimon and Mummymon managed to jump away to avoid getting hit. When the snow cleared they discovered the Destiny Stone rested underneath.

"Great." Yolei groaned. "So much for Davis's hiding spot."

Paildramon lunged for BlackWarGreymon and fired his guns, but the latter jumped away just in time. He threw another Terra Destroyer, and Paildramon was forced to fly away to dodge it, leaving the Destiny Stone unprotected. The ring around the stone shattered, and a bright light emitted from the stone. The shadow of a figure, most likely the Digimon that appeared when the last Stone was destroyed, showed itself in the light.

"What is that?" Davis breathed.

BlackWarGreymon approached the Destiny Stone, growling a little. "If you _are _the worthy opponent I have been looking for, why do you not show yourself and fight?" He didn't even wait for an answer; he obliterated the Stone like he did the others. "I am one step further to finding my opponent. Just one more Destiny Stone should do it." He suddenly took off into the sky, disappearing into the clouds.

_He sounds so desperate. _Rika mentally noted.

"We'd better keep him under wraps." Mummymon said as he and Arukenimon watched BlackWarGreymon go. "He gets stronger with every Destiny Stone he destroys."

"Don't you think I know that you fool?" Arukenimon snapped as they hurried off. "Come on! We have to follow him! And we must find Sorcermon on the way down; I have a little lesson I need to teach him."

Davis growled to himself, kicking the snow. "Well we lost another Destiny Stone!" He looked down at the lower level Digimon, dedigivolved from the hybrids. "Look what they give me to work with." Suddenly, lighting flashed overhead, and the DigiDestined quickly realized the Stone's destruction taking effect.

"You can mope about it later, Davis!" T.K. said hurriedly. "Right now, let's get out of here!" Yolei, Kari, Davis, and Ken picked up their Digimon and everyone ran towards a nearby TV to escape through the portal.

"We have to return to the Real World before it's too late!" Ken shouted over the wind. They pushed through the snow chunks flying towards their faces and activated the portal. The TV sucked them all in just as the chaos sucked up the TV and sent it flying.

* * *

><p>"That was close." T.K. breathed as they all walked home from the school.<p>

"Almost too close even for _my _liking." Rika admitted.

"It'll be worse next time if we lose those last Destiny Stones." Davis groaned in frustration.

"But we still haven't found a way to protect them against BlackWarGreymon." Kari said.

"I don't wanna hear that name again." Davis kicked a nearby can angrily, causing everyone to stop.

"You mean BlackWarGreymon?" Ken asked innocently.

"Thanks for not saying it." Davis muttered sarcastically.

"Would you all just calm down?" Wizardmon snapped. "I realize the situation's pretty bad but we need to keep our heads."

"I guess we're all pretty frustrated." Yolei sighed. "BlackWarGreymon has really pushed us to our limits."

"Not quite." T.K. assured, his tone going angry. "Let's stop all this talk about losing and helplessness. We're going to stop BlackWarGreymon and that's that."

_I've seen T.K. angry like this before. _Cody thought, his mind travelling back to their fight in the canyon. It still mystified the young boy as to how T.K. could have such a bipolar personality; it also scared him a little, because he was always unsure as to when T.K.'s mood would change.

"Is everybody with me?" T.K. demanded. He received no response from anyone. Everyone else mostly stared at the ground, unsure what to say. They all wanted to stop BlackWarGreymon, but even with the DNA Digivolved Digimon they still didn't stand a chance. Somehow or another BlackWarGreymon found a way to destroy the Destiny Stones no matter how hard they fought. While they wanted to stay hopeful, the task started becoming almost too daunting for them. Wizardmon needed to remind himself that the DigiDestined were only children, preteens, yet they held a great weight on their shoulders.

_Poor kids. _He thought. _So much responsibility._

"It's getting late. I've gotta get home." Ken announced, changing the subject.

"It must be tough having to take that long bus ride back to Tamachi." Yolei said sympathetically.

"I'm used to it by now." Ken assured, turning and walking away.

Davis thought for a moment. "Hey! Wait Ken! Why don't you come over to my house for dinner?" Ken paused, the invitation catching him off guard. "It'll be fun." Davis insisted. "We can brainstorm ideas about how to defeat BlackWarGreymon. Plus my mom, she makes a pretty decent meatloaf."

Ken turned back to the brunette boy. "Thanks Davis. After all we've been through I'm glad you include me in your fight. And I wouldn't mind settling my score with Arukenimon either. I'll never forgive her."

"I'd like a piece of her too." Rika said. "I still have plenty of questions for her and I'm going to get some answers."

_If only I could tell her the truth. _Wizardmon mentally sighed. _While I don't mind Arukenimon getting the web beaten out of her, she'll never be able to give Rika her answers._

"Hey, why don't you sleep over?" Davis offered Ken. "And tomorrow, we can have a big DigiDestined meeting over at my house. Cool?"

Ken finally smiled warmly. "Great idea! Let me just call my mom first."

"Great!" Davis smiled too. "Then it's settled!"

"I can't make it tomorrow. Can I come over tonight too?" Yolei requested.

"Me too." Kari chimed in.

"Us too!" Rika said, putting an arm around Wizardmon's shoulders.

"Really Kari?" Davis's smile grew. "I can't believe you're coming! In that case, why don't you _all _come to dinner at my house tonight?"

"Sure!" the girls said simultaneously.

"Sorry, but I've got plans tonight." T.K. said, turning and jogging off. "Bye."

The others watched him go, but Cody watched closer. "Thanks anyway, but I can't make it either." He bowed and hurried off. _I wonder why T.K. gets so emotional when he talks about the powers of darkness._

"Hey T.K.! Wait up!" Yolei called. "I'll walk with you! After all, we live in the same building." She trailed off a bit at the end, but hurriedly ran to catch up with the departing DigiDestined.

"See you later, Yolei." Rika waved small. "I guess."

"We'll meet up later at your house, Davis." Kari said. "I'd like to take a quick bath. Plus I'm still a little frozen from our fight."

"Okay." Davis said. "We'll see you guys." The girls and their Digimon waved goodbye as they parted their separate ways, back to their homes. Kari, Rika, Salamon, and Wizardmon stayed silent the whole way walking home; not so much awkward, just because nobody could think of anything to talk about.

Kari opened her front door and announced "Tadaima!"

"Welcome home, darling!" Kari's mom called from the kitchen.

Kari kept the door open so she could whisper to her friends while she took off her shoes. "You guys are going to have to go to the balcony and I'll let you in."

"Oh great." Rika sighed. "And here I thought joining you guys meant my life would get a little more normal."

"What are _you _complaining about?" Wizardmon teased. "_I'm _the one who does all the flying."

Kari shut the door and wandered into the house. "Oh Kari!" Mrs. Kamiya called. "Can you come stir this for me while I change the laundry?"

_Perfect timing. _Kari thought as she entered the kitchen. "Sure Mom. No problem." She took the wooden spoon from her mother and continued to stir the soup on the stove, watching her mother disappear around the corner. Tai entered the room as their mother walked back to the laundry room. "Hey Tai. Can you go out to the balcony and let the others in?"

"Sure." Tai nodded, jogging to the sliding glass door and opening it as Wizardmon landed on the terrace, Rika in his arms. Salamon stood up from Wizardmon's head, his hat falling over her eyes. "Hurry inside, guys. We can't let Mom catch you."

"Oh Kari! Tai!"

Tai suddenly shoved Wizardmon back outside and slammed the door shut, closing the curtains just enough to hide them. "Yes Mom?"

"Kids, I have to run to the store and grab more laundry detergent." Mrs. Kamiya said. "Kari, if you could just keep stirring that while I'm gone so it doesn't burn that would be great. I'll be back in a little bit."

"Okay!" Kari called. She and Tai waved as their mother left. When the coast was clear, Tai opened the door again to let in their roommates. Tai laughed nervously at the sight of Wizardmon, Rika, and Salamon in a dog pile on the ground, glaring at him.

"You know, I'm starting to wonder if we should just tell your mom we're living with you." Wizardmon said, plopping down on the couch. "I mean, wouldn't that make things easier for you? Or at least for Rika?"

"Maybe, but we don't know how Mom will react." Kari said. "She might ask too many questions and if she finds out Rika's an orphan, she might send her away to an orphanage."

"It's really just safer if you stay hidden." Tai said. "We really do enjoy having you live with us, even in secrecy."

"Yeah, it's fun!" Salamon agreed, resting in Wizardmon's lap.

Kari glanced over to Rika, who sat curled up on the couch. "You've been awfully quiet, Rika."

Rika rested her chin on her knees, staring off into space. "I guess I just have a lot on my mind."

"About BlackWarGreymon?" Salamon guessed.

"Actually, about T.K." Rika corrected. "He gets so worked up over BlackWarGreymon and all this 'powers of darkness' stuff, which I guess is supposed to be pretty evil. Back in the canyon, he even said the world would end because of BlackWarGreymon." She sighed heavily. "We've moved on from hating each other. What I want to know now is why the heck did we start fighting over this whole thing about darkness? Why does T.K. hate it so much?"

"Can't say." Tai shrugged. "Maybe just preteen hormones."

"It has something to do with Devimon and Angemon." Wizardmon corrected. "Something about the two of them fighting and T.K. lost Angemon for a while?"

Tai's eyes widened. "Oh, of course! How could I be so dense?"

"What is it, Tai?" Kari asked.

"Clearly T.K.'s still scarred after what happened between Angemon and Devimon." Tai explained.

"So we've heard." Rika said. "What happened?"

"It was pretty early in our first adventure in the Digital World." Tai explained. "We were battling this evil Digimon called Devimon. As we would later discover, he wasn't nearly as strong as our later opponents. But we were all so new to the Digital World, so he was plenty powerful enough for us. This guy totally beat us down and then went for T.K., who was only about 7 at the time. Patamon, wanting to protect T.K., Digivolved to Angemon for the very first time. But then, he used all his power to destroy Devimon, and it cost him his life. We were all so new to the DigiWorld that we didn't know he would be reconfigured later. We thought he was dead for good; you can imagine how happy we all were when he turned into a Digi-Egg and hatched from it. I guess it hit little T.K. really hard. I mean, Patamon was and still is his best friend. To lose him must've made T.K. really sad."

"Poor T.K." Wizardmon sighed. "I mean, I was upset when Witchmon and my siblings died, but I knew they'd come back. Still, at the time I was afraid I would never see them again."

"It taught us a lesson we will never forget: that the importance of life outweighs the power of darkness." Tai said. Rika sighed heavily, uncurling herself and staring at the ground. Tai realized what he just said. "Uh, I mean the evil powers, of course, not _your _kind of darkness."

"But what _is _my kind of darkness?" Rika asked. "What kind of darkness can there be except the evil kind?"

"Well, uh…" Tai thought for a moment. "Okay, I can't think of any kind. I mean, the DigiDestined were chosen to _fight _the powers of darkness, whatever they may be." He ticked off their enemies on his fingers. "Devimon, Etamon, Myotismon, the Dark Masters, Apocalymon. Then you guys dealt with the Digimon Emperor and now you've got Arukenimon and Mummymon to worry about. Not to mention BlackWarGreymon."

"So where does Rika stand?" Kari asked. "If she's the DigiDestined of Darkness?"

"I don't want to be your enemy." Rika said. "But I'm afraid I won't have any choice."

"Why not?" Salamon asked.

"Because I've always been different from you guys." Rika said. "It's not fair to Wizardmon, who was your friend before he even met me. Plus, what's going to happen with Wizardmon, Patamon, and Armadillomon? When two of them DNA Digivolve, one's going to be left out and that's _definitely _not fair."

"We'll work it out." Salamon assured. "There's nothing we can't do."

Rika sighed. "I just want to know why I was chosen. Why do I have my Crest? What does it mean to be a DigiDestined of Darkness? It's been the one question I could never get answered, and I need that answer now more than ever."

Wizardmon then stood up and walked out to the terrace, silently shutting the door behind him. Everyone else stared after the Majin for a moment before Tai stood and went after him. The teenager closed the curtains to give them more privacy before joining the blonde Digimon at the railing. The two of them stood in silence, staring out at the city.

"Wizardmon?" Tai asked.

"Hmm?" Wizardmon replied.

"Did you know you were a DigiDestined Digimon when we met in Odaiba four years ago?"

"No."

"So who gave you that tag, Crest, and Digivice?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"You know why."

Tai sighed in frustration. "You can't hide it forever. You need to tell us because if this guy's no good then—"

"He's evil and cruel, I can assure you that." Wizardmon gasped a little, his hand going to his throat. But he took a few calming breaths and he no longer felt the choking sensation. But he pulled his cowl down to better rub his throat. "You think I enjoy keeping you in the dark? I don't want to keep this a secret from you or Rika or Kari or _anyone. _I'm putting you all in danger. The guilt on my shoulders is almost unbearable."

Tai stared at Wizardmon's throat, as though searching for something that could tighten around the Digimon's neck. He sighed and looked back out at the city. "I don't want you to feel bad. If you can't tell, you can't tell. The last thing we want to do is cause you pain. You're our friend."

Wizardmon stopped rubbing his throat, lowering his hand so his cowl came back up over his mouth. "And you are mine. I'm just afraid that if and when you find out the truth, you'll hate me."

Tai smiled, putting a hand on Wizardmon's shoulder. "It's kind of hard for me to hate the guy who gave his _life _for my little sister."

Wizardmon chuckled softly. "You're not going to let me forget that, are you?"

Tai laughed. "Nope."

* * *

><p>Cody stared at the ground as he walked home, cradling Upamon in his arms. Matt's words rang through his head, and his story about T.K. losing Angemon to Devimon kept repeating in the small boy's head. He finally understood why T.K. was so angry, but somehow Cody still felt lost.<p>

"Penny for your thoughts, Cody?" Upamon asked. "I'd offer more, but I'm short on cash."

"I want to stop BlackWarGreymon as much as T.K. does." Cody said. "And I know that terrible things will happen if he destroys the last Destiny Stone. But….something about BlackWarGreymon makes me think he's just confused and not really bad." He stared off into the distance. "Rika may have a point; BlackWarGreymon might just need someone to be there for him.

"I know what's bothering you about BlackWarGreymon." Upamon said. "Because he has a heart, and he worries about things, just like you. That's why you can't destroy him. That's why you have the biggest heart of anyone I know."

Cody smiled softly. "Thanks Upamon. I'm glad you think so. Rika will be happy to know she's not the only one who thinks BlackWarGreymon isn't evil."

"I like Rika." Upamon said. "She's kind of rough around the edges and maybe a little violent, but I think she acts kind of like a mommy. You know, like those mama bears we saw on TV. She's caring and loving, but she can get pretty nasty if her cubs are in danger."

Cody's smile grew. "You know what? You're right. A lot of what Rika does she does for us. She's _definitely _like a mother bear protecting her cubs."

"I think you're like her own cub." Upamon said. "Not just because you're the youngest, but maybe for something else."

Cody stared at the sky as he walked. "Yeah. Maybe."

* * *

><p>Sorcermon kept his head down, on his hands and knees in his most reverent bow. Arukenimon, in her human form, paced back and forth before the ice wizard. Mummymon took a nap in the car, some distance away.<p>

"What did I tell you when we traveled to the north to find the Destiny Stone?" Arukenimon asked, her grip tightening on the cat o' nine tails resting in her hand.

Sorcermon swallowed hard, keeping his head down. "To find the DigiDestined and stop them from finding the Destiny Stone. But—"

"Yes, and yet even when knowing that you failed me." Arukenimon growled.

"But Mistress, I just never found them." Sorcermon protested weakly. "They must've taken a different path and I just didn't find them. I don't even know what they look like!"

"Oh for heaven's sake." Arukenimon huffed. "They're human children with Digimon partners. They have Digivices. Four of the Digimon fuse together. How hard is that for you?"

Sorcermon wanted to tell her, _again_, that he didn't have the slightest clue what a human looked like or what a Digivice was. But his fear trumped out that thought. He pressed his forehead to the forest floor, his hat almost falling off his head. "Please forgive me, Mistress. I won't disappoint you again."

"That's right, you won't." Arukenimon said, readying her whip. "Because I'm going to have to punish you again."

Sorcermon fought a sob in his throat. "Please Mistress, don't hurt me again. I won't fail you again, I promise."

Arukenimon chuckled darkly. "You shouldn't make promises you won't be able to keep. Now hold still."

"Arukenimon, master…"

"You will take your punishment or I'll have to hurt you more!"

Sorcermon blinked furiously, keeping his tears at bay. "Yes Mistress."

"And you won't cry at all, will you?"

"No Mistress."

"And why not?"

"Because then you'll have to hurt me more. Emotions are for the weak."

"Very good."

Sorcermon readied himself for the pain, and Arukenimon raised the cat o' nine tails.

Mummymon cracked his eye open as he heard the snaps of the whip. The trees prevented him from seeing the show, but he could tell Arukenimon really let Sorcermon have it. Luckily for the ice mage, he managed to keep his screams of pain silent or they came out as grunts. Mummymon smirked. _That's my precious little dumpling. So good with the torture devices. It's a shame Sorcermon can't do better; I mean, he's powerful but he's awfully stupid._

Sorcermon hit the ground again, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. His torn clothing revealed plenty more cuts. He whimpered a little, only to receive another strike to the cheek. He fought to stop his tears, barely managing to keep them back. After several minutes of striking him, Arukenimon sighed.

"I grow tired of this." The spider woman droned. "You should be thankful; I'm cutting your punishment short tonight." She stared at Sorcermon for a moment before raising the whip again. "What do you say, little pest?"

Sorcermon painfully rolled over to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground. "Thank you, my mistress. You are a benevolent master."

Arukenimon smiled. "Very good. Now take your staff and go heal yourself. You can resume your tracking of the DigiDestined tomorrow. I expect better results soon or you will no longer be of use to me. Remember that."

The ice wizard stayed down, keeping his voice steady. "I understand, Mistress." He remained in the bow until he heard Mummymon and Arukenimon driving away in their car. Then, he took up his staff and leaned heavily on it, limping and stumbling around until he finally found a creek running through the forest. Sorcermon dropped his staff and fell to his knees on the banks of the water, hurriedly pulling off his gloves. He cupped his hands and scooped up some of the cold creek water, pressing it into his face. He breathed heavily, sobs shaking his body. Tears poured from his eyes, and he finally let out all the pain and sorrow he felt. He continued to sob softly as he pulled up more water, running it over all his wounds. He muttered under his breath, speaking healing incantations he learned from memory, despite not knowing where or when he learned them. Not that he cared; discovering his enhanced talent in healing magic came in handy when Arukenimon tortured him. Whenever she did this to him, he could heal his wounds like they never existed; he even found a way to magically stitch up his clothing so he looked good as new.

But soon, he discovered he wouldn't be able to take much more of this. He knew his purpose: serve Arukenimon. So why did she torture him so? Well, because he didn't make her happy, like he was supposed to.

"But why?" Sorcermon sobbed, staring at his blurry reflection in the creek water. "I know what I'm supposed to do. I'm doing what my mistress wants. These DigiDestined; when I destroy them, I'll make her happy. But why can't I do it? I feel something in me when I think about destroying the DigiDestined. Those children. Could they really be children? Could my greatest enemies really be so young?" His fingers dug into the wet sand. "Why do I feel this way? What are they to me? Why can't I think about killing them?" He growled in frustration, tears still pouring down. He let out a furious, desperate shout.

"_What am I doing wrong?!"_

* * *

><p>While Davis's mom made a great dinner for the DigiDestined meeting that evening, the part where they were supposed to come up with a plan about BlackWarGreymon and the Destiny Stones didn't come along as well as they would have hoped.<p>

"So what's our plan?" Salamon asked.

"We watch both worlds fall apart if the last two Destiny Stones are destroyed." Yolei said solemnly.

"Nice thinking Ms. Optimist." Wizardmon droned sarcastically. "But she has a point."

"We've got to protect them somehow." Kari said.

"Then let's go find them!" Leafmon urged.

"I had lunch with Tentomon the other day and he said he was searching for the location of the last two Stones." Pururumon said. "If we can find them before BlackWarGreymon does, we can protect them."

"Wait a minute!" Davis complained. "You had lunch with Tentomon the other day? How come I wasn't invited?"

"Focus, Davis." Rika snapped.

"Anyway, even if we find the Destiny Stones first we're still not powerful enough to stop BlackWarGreymon." Davis said.

"Then let's get stronger, right Ken?" Leafmon would've shrugged if he had shoulders.

"Right pal." Ken agreed.

"Now the question becomes how." Rika said. "It's clear the power of two Ultimate Level Digimon, or in our case two DNA Digivolved Digimon, isn't enough for him."

"Maybe we could get Wizardmon to Digivolve to Dark Splashmon again." Davis suggested. "We'd have a Mega on our side!"

"Don't even _joke _about that!" Rika shouted, making Davis jump back on his bed.

"There's no telling what might happen if I turn into that monster again." Wizardmon said.

"So what do we do?" Kari asked. "We've exhausted every other possibility."

"Pururumon brought up a good point about finding the Destiny Stones before BlackWarGreymon." Rika said. "But that's covered pretty well by our Digimon friends. Maybe we need to find BlackWarGreymon before he finds the Stones."

Yolei groaned. "That sounds so tiring. We're all going to need our sleep tonight if we're going to fight this guy."

"I'll go." Rika offered. "I won't be able to sleep tonight anyway with all this stress on my shoulders."

"It's on all of our shoulders." Salamon said. "But we can handle it."

"Why waste time?" Wizardmon said, standing. "Davis, do you have a computer we can borrow? We're going to the DigiWorld."

Davis nodded and walked over to his desk, pulling out a small laptop and opening the gate. "Rika, do you really still think BlackWarGreymon could be our friend?"

"Yes." Rika said without hesitation, she and Wizardmon walking over to the computer.

"Please be careful, Rika." Kari said. "I know you have hopes for BlackWarGreymon but I'm not so sure he shares the same feelings."

Rika stared at her Digivice for a moment before looking towards Kari. "I don't believe that. If you talked to him the way I did, you would understand." She pointed her Digivice to the computer. "Digi-port open!" In a flash, she and Wizardmon disappeared.

"Sometimes I really worry about her." Ken said. "She's going to get seriously hurt one of these days."

* * *

><p>Rika usually like to just run to get places faster, but Wizardmon insisted that when tracking BlackWarGreymon it was safer in the air. Hence the reason he carried her piggyback style while flying through the skies. From their bird's eye view, the two of them watched BlackWarGreymon charging through the land, almost desperately searching for the next Destiny Stone. On the upside, he took some pleasure in destroying Control Spires and almost smashed Arukenimon and Mummymon (who chased him) with some rocks. Then, BlackWarGreymon leaped over a large canyon and left Arukenimon and Mummymon in the dust.<p>

"So how should we approach this?" Rika asked as the two of them continued to fly after BlackWarGreymon. "Considering you hate the way _I _approach things like this." She pushed her glasses up and rubbed her tired eyes. Wizardmon yawned a little. Pulling an all-nighter searching for BlackWarGreymon definitely didn't sit well with them.

"Because you're too unpredictable." Wizardmon huffed. _I don't necessarily agree with her decision to try talking to him again, but I suppose I can hold off attacking him for the moment._ "Okay; we'll just fly down and get in his line of sight. Maybe we can get him to slow down and stop."

"If you say so." Rika nodded. "Let's go!" Wizardmon lowered in altitude until he flew directly beside BlackWarGreymon.

"What do you want?" the dark armored Digimon growled.

"To talk, that's all!" Wizardmon called over the wind.

"I have nothing to say to you!" BlackWarGreymon snapped, continuing to fly.

"Well maybe you should rethink that!" Rika snapped. "We can help you!"

"I don't need your help!" BlackWarGreymon swung his arm around, almost hitting the two of them.

Wizardmon growled a little. "Okay. Time for the Rika approach."

"Huh?" Rika yelped a little when Wizardmon suddenly shot forward and latched onto BlackWarGreymon's shoulders. She caught on and pulled out her Digivice. _"Digi-Armor Energize!"_

"_Wizardmon Armor Digivolve to….Dynasmon, the Angel of Darkness!"_

Dynasmon spread his wings and pushed down, sending all three of them crashing into the ground like a meteor. They hit the dirt hard, but BlackWarGreymon shoved Dynasmon off. Dynasmon gently set Rika on the ground and stood up, putting himself in BlackWarGreymon's path.

"You are going to listen to us!" Dynasmon snapped.

"Don't tell me what to do!" BlackWarGreymon snarled, trying to get around Dynasmon.

"I'm not trying to order you around!" Dynasmon insisted. "I'm trying to help you! You're throwing the Digital World out of balance because your mind is twisted."

"You know nothing about me!" BlackWarGreymon suddenly tackled Dynasmon to the ground, but the DigiDestined Digimon threw him off. "Don't try and tell me who I am. I know my destiny and you are standing in my way!" The two armored Digimon glared at each other, as though sizing one another up for battle.

Rika suddenly jumped between them, facing BlackWarGreymon. "Would you just stop it? We don't want to fight you." BlackWarGreymon stared at Rika, his entire body going rigid.

_I sense his aura changing. _Dynasmon thought. _It's not so violent anymore; it almost feels gentle in a way. What is it about Rika that he likes so much? What does she do that makes him so calm?_

"You must stay out of my way." BlackWarGreymon growled. "I will not be stopped from discovering my destiny."

"This isn't your destiny." Rika insisted. "Because if it is, that means it will end with your destruction. There are other options for you; options that don't involve you getting killed. Don't you want that?"

"As if any of you had the power to stop me." BlackWarGreymon growled.

"Please just let us help you." Rika pleaded. "Let _me _help you. Because even if the others want to destroy you, I'm still going to help you."

"I will protect the Destiny Stones." Dynasmon said. "Only because if they are destroyed you will be destroying my home. I only ask that you realize what you're doing, BlackWarGreymon: if you destroy the Digital World, you'll destroy your home."

BlackWarGreymon glared at them, growling a little.

* * *

><p><em>I just heard from Tentomon. <em>Kari had written. _He said Ikkakumon and his friends just found the sixth Destiny Stone. It's at the bottom of the ocean, and BlackWarGreymon is headed right for it! Rika and Dynasmon are already there but we've got to hurry._

_Ken and I will meet you and the others in the Digital World. _Davis had replied. _Go!_

That was about twenty minutes ago; now, the DigiDestined gathered on the rocks at the ocean shores, near the location of the Destiny Stone. They kept glancing up at the cliff above them, waiting for BlackWarGreymon to appear over the ridge. The Digimon Digivolved to their Champion forms, or in Wizardmon's and Armadillomon's cases Armor Digivolved to Dynasmon and Submarimon.

_So much for convincing BlackWarGreymon. _Rika thought. _But at least we got here before he did. We can't give up just yet._

"Cody, we'll leave the underwater stuff to you!" Davis called.

"Right." Cody nodded from his spot in his Digimon. "Ikkakumon and I will try our best to protect the Destiny Stone. But we're going to need some help against BlackWarGreymon!"

"Be careful, Cody!" Rika called.

Cody nodded. "Let's go, Submarimon!" The two of them dived below the waves.

"It's our job to stop BlackWarGreymon from getting into the ocean." Davis told the others.

"We might as well try to stop the sun from shining." T.K. said. "But in the Digital World, anything is possible, so let's try our best."

"Right." Angemon nodded.

"I know Submarimon has an advantage under the water, but it doesn't feel right to leave Cody down there." Rika said. "Even with my skills, I don't stand a chance in a fight like this." She sighed, albeit angrily. "I hate it; it's like I'm completely useless."

"Now you know how I felt for a long time." Dynasmon said. "But don't worry about it."

"He's right." Aquilamon nodded. "You kids stay out of this. We'll take care of it."

Then, the DigiDestined heard a rumbling sound from overhead. "Here he comes!" Angemon warned.

"Stay down." Dynasmon ordered, herding the children to a safe spot. "We'll take care of this."

"_ExVeemon…..Stingmon…..DNA Digivolve to….Paildramon!"_

"_Aquilamon….Gatomon…..DNA Digivolve to…..Silphymon!"_

The Digimon flew up towards BlackWarGreymon, ready for battle. Angemon moved forward first, swinging his staff around only to be knocked aside by the Control Spire Digimon.

"We've got to work together!" Silphymon called.

"Let's all attack at once!" Paildramon suggested. _"Desperado Blaster!"_

"_Static Force!"_

"_Hand of Fate!"_

"_Dragon's Roar!"_

Unfortunately, even when all four of them attacked at once it hardly left a scratch. BlackWarGreymon threw a Terra Destroyer, forcing his opponents to scatter to avoid it. Before any of them could stop him, the black armored Digimon dived down into the ocean and straight for the stone.

"Now what?" Dynasmon asked. "None of our attacks will work underwater!"

"We'll just have to leave it to Cody, Ikkakumon, and the others." Angemon said. "There's nothing else we can do."

Luckily, the underwater Digimon put up a great fight and within seconds BlackWarGreymon came splashing out of the water again. Paildramon swooped in, firing his guns and forcing BlackWarGreymon into the cliff side. Angemon and Silphymon fired their attacks, and BlackWarGreymon hit the ground and became buried in rocks. The rocks didn't move, and the DigiDestined erupted into cheers.

"Well that takes care of him once and for all." Angemon said proudly.

Dynasmon went rigid. "Oh no it doesn't!"

They jumped when BlackWarGreymon burst from the rocks, snarling like a rabid animal. He suddenly began to glow in a strange, white-blue light. When the light died, he threw a Terra Destroyer again. This time, the giant sphere hit the water and the shockwave knocked his opponents aside. The force of the blow, coupled with some other strange power, caused the underwater Digimon to tumble and the waters to part and give BlackWarGreymon a clear shot to the Destiny Stone.

"Who does he think he is, Moses?" Davis whimpered a little.

"Maybe this is the Digital World equivalent of the Red Sea." Ken joked weakly.

BlackWarGreymon marched over to the Destiny Stone, his desire to smash it almost overwhelming. "The Destiny Stone…." The one thing that stood in the way of him and his ultimate opponent. Nothing could stop him now.

"Stop right there!"

BlackWarGreymon, startled, paused and stared down at a small brunette boy and an armadillo-like Digimon standing between him and the Destiny Stone.

"Don't take another step or else!" Cody shouted.

"Or else what?" BlackWarGreymon scoffed.

In hindsight, Cody should've thought this through a little more. But he stayed strong. "Um…I haven't figured that part out yet."

The other DigiDestined shouted in concern, practically begging for their friend to run. Rika moved to run in, but Ken tried to hold her back. She forcibly shoved him to the ground and slid down to the wet, rocky ground. Her feet barely hit the rocks as she sprinted towards BlackWarGreymon and Cody, fear coursing through her veins.

"Prepare to die!" BlackWarGreymon snarled.

"Wait, don't attack!" Cody pleaded. "I know that you have a heart, even though you were made from Control Spires! So please try to find it in your heart not to destroy any more Destiny Stones! We want to be friends with you!"

_Cody really thinks that? _Rika thought. _He actually agrees with me?_

"I hope Cody knows what he's doing!" Paildramon groaned. He and the other Digimon floated above, watching the interaction between the young boy and the Control Spire Digimon. They didn't attack just yet, unsure if it was safe or not.

"If I do not destroy the Destiny Stones, then I will never get to fight my only worthy opponent." BlackWarGreymon reasoned.

"So don't fight him then!" Cody insisted. "You're disturbing the balance between the Real World and the Digital World!"

BlackWarGreymon stomped his foot angrily. "Quiet! Who are you to tell me not to fight? It is my ultimate destiny to be the greatest fighter ever created. My only thought now is destroying the Destiny Stones so I can meet my opponent. I have cleared my mind of such petty things as worrying and feelings, and I am finally focused! _Now get out of my way or die!"_

Cody glared in determination. "Never! If you want to destroy this Destiny Stone you'll have to destroy me first! You have a heart. And I don't want to fight you!"

BlackWarGreymon still glared at Cody, but his gaze faltered. _Why is he looking at me like that? What does my heart have to do with it? _Suddenly, he seemed to see not just this boy but also that tiny purple flower he protected from the Mammothmon. He lowered his stance, gasping softly. _The flower! Why do I remember that silly little flower at a time like this? Why am I so hesitant to destroy this boy, just as I seem to feel dissatisfied when Child is harmed? Is it because I have a heart? I…_ His gaze hardened. _I never said I wanted a heart! _He raised his sharp claws and charged towards Cody and the Destiny Stone.

"Cody, get out of the way!" Armadillomon called, standing beside his human partner.

"Cody!" Rika screamed, putting on an extra burst of speed. She dived forward, ready to tackle Cody aside…

….when Angemon swooped down and grabbed Cody and Armadillomon first.

Rika's eyes widened in shock, realizing Angemon got to Cody before she did. Suddenly, pain erupted in her leg and she cried out as she hit the ground.

BlackWarGreymon's eyes widened as he pulled back his claws, staring at the gashes he left in the girl's leg. "Child…"

Rika clutched her bleeding leg, staring up at BlackWarGreymon. But she didn't look angry, sad, or even betrayed. In fact, he couldn't read her expression at all. He snarled angrily, stepping back and spinning around. Dynasmon shot down and grabbed Rika, lifting her to safety just as BlackWarGreymon moved in.

"_Black Tornado!"_

Another Destiny Stone destroyed. BlackWarGreymon flew off and disappeared just as dark clouds began to settle in the skies. The waters crashed down, no longer parted, and suddenly the waves became rough and choppy. A twister of water, the beginnings of a potential hurricane, erupted from the waves and connected with the stormy skies. Two more showed up, with who knows how many more on the way. The Digimon quickly gathered their human partners, flying them to safety.

"Great! We let another Destiny Stone get blasted!" Davis complained.

"Let's get out of here before we're next!" Yolei urged. The Digimon nodded and flew off as fast as they could, away from the chaos.

Davis looked over at Dynasmon, his eyes focusing on Rika and her wounded leg. "Still think BlackWarGreymon could be our friend?"

Rika glared at Davis. "Yes. I do. You got a problem with that?"

Davis looked away. Rika stared off in the distance, hardly feeling the pain in her leg.

* * *

><p>Patamon and Upamon laughed as they played in the sand, building sand castles and burying each other. Wizardmon meditated off to one side, focusing on listening to the crashing waves from Tokyo Harbor. Cody, T.K., and Rika sat near Patamon and Upamon, staring out into the distance. Rika checked her bleeding leg again, making sure no sand got into the wound. Davis, Ken, and Yolei already returned home with their Digimon while Kari journeyed to a nearby department store for medical supplies. T.K. and Cody decided to wait with Rika on the beach, offering to help walk her home if needed. Though she assured them she would be fine, they still stayed.<p>

"Hey Cody." Upamon approached his partner. "How come BlackWarGreymon was ready to hurt you but you wouldn't hurt him?"

Cody didn't answer for a moment, staring at a small family as they journeyed to their home. He returned his gaze to Upamon. "Some Digimon don't appreciate how precious life is."

Upamon's gaze fell. "But I appreciate it."

Cody smiled and scooped up his Digimon. "Well it would be great if all Digimon were like you, Upamon."

T.K. smiled as he came up to Cody. "I'm proud of you for the way you handled yourself back there, Cody. I think you finally understand why I get so angry at the thought of evil."

"Right." Patamon said, flying up into his partner's arms.

Rika pushed herself to her feet. "I'm proud of you too, Cody. And I'm not just saying that because you agree with me." She winced in pain when she put her weight on her injured leg, and Cody and T.K. gently put their Digimon down to help Rika sit back down on the sand.

"You really shouldn't have done that, Rika." Cody said. "Angemon saved me; you didn't have to get hurt."

"I didn't plan to get hurt." Rika laughed a little. "I just wanted to protect you. I didn't want to see you or anyone else get hurt."

"Like a mama bear, remember Cody?" Upamon said.

Wizardmon chuckled as he joined them. "I can definitely see that. What with how ferocious Rika can be."

"I'm terrifyingly fierce and proud of it." Rika shrugged.

"Wizardmon, can't you perform a healing spell or something?" Cody asked.

"I'm afraid I'm not so good at healing humans." Wizardmon said. "I'm better with spells or ailments caused by Digimon attacks. Scratches don't really count. Besides, it takes a lot of power and I don't have quite enough since the fight."

"You're tired as it is." Rika said. "Just sit down, Wizardmon. Kari's getting medicine for me, so don't worry Cody."

Cody sighed. "Why do care so much?"

"I care about all you guys." Rika said. "Even T.K., no matter how big of a dope he is."

"The 'dope' is sitting right here." T.K. rolled his eyes. Rika laughed and shoved him playfully. T.K. laughed too and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Seriously Rika." Cody insisted. "Upamon even went so far as to call me your cub yesterday."

Rika's cheeks flushed a little. "Well, I _do _kind of see you as a little brother or, yes, even my little cub. You just remind me of a close family member of mine."

"Really?" Cody asked.

Rika nodded. "I used to have this younger cousin, the son of my dad's sister and her husband. We used to hang out all the time; we had a lot in common, I guess. Or we just shared so many interests in some games." She stared fondly at the waves crashing on the sand, remembering the times she spent with her young cousin. "He would've been about your age now. The two of you look and act very alike."

Cody looked down, so did T.K. and the Digimon as the air became tense. "What happened to him?" Cody asked.

"He and his parents were driving home after visiting with us." Rika explained. "It was a rainy night. That, plus a drunk driver on the road, equals a dead uncle, aunt, and little cousin. I guess it was just the beginning of deaths in my family." She reached into her collar to grab her tag and Crest, taking up her usual hobby of staring at the Crest. "Maybe _that's_ why I'm the DigiDestined of Darkness; because I've gone through so much of it in my life."

"But you always said we _all _go through at least one instance where we get a little scarred or traumatized." T.K. said. "Is it really possible that you went through so many more?"

Rika only nodded. Cody stared at her for a moment before scooting closer and leaning against her. "I'm really glad you're our friend, Rika, and that you regard me so fondly. I care about you very much."

Rika smiled softly and put an arm around Cody, pulling him in close. She put her free arm around T.K.'s shoulders. The three of them stared out over the waters, smiling in content.

Wizardmon stared at the trio of kids. _I haven't seen such a gentleness with Rika in a long time. I didn't think it was possible for her to be so loving anymore. This isn't like her 'tough love' she usually shows, like the moment I first met her. It really is like a mother. _He smiled softly. _It's so nice to see._

_Thank you, Cody. Thank you for helping her bring out her gentle side._


	32. Stone Soup

**Episode 36: Stone Soup**

Sorcermon lay on his back in the snow, staring up at the skies; clouds filled it so much they looked white instead of blue. Whereas most would start to feel numb at lying in the snow for so long, Sorcermon oddly felt comfortable in it. He knew if Mistress Arukenimon caught him lounging on the job, he'd get whipped until he was black and blue. But after searching for so long, he figured it wouldn't hurt to take a break. As long as he wasn't caught, that is. He let his mind wander, thinking mostly about his mission.

"Humans." Sorcermon murmured to himself. "I wonder what humans even look like. Do they look anything like me? I suppose that would make them easier to recognize. I wish Mistress would tell me more about my targets. How can she expect me to know everything?" He sighed, his breath materializing into a cloud floating from his cowl. He curled up and stood, brushing snow off him as he walked off. He didn't really have a destination in mind; he just wanted to walk. Maybe if he got lucky, he'd just run into the DigiDestined and he could destroy them for his mistress.

"Help me! Somebody help me!"

Sorcermon paused at the sound of the cry and took off in another direction, heading straight for a woodland area nearby. He darted between trees and jumped over roots, listening to the shouting of someone obviously in pain. Finally, he reached the crest of a hill and looked down to see two Digimon battling it out at the bottom of the decline. Well, actually one of them was very beaten up and the other was still pounding away on his much smaller victim. The beater was a blue, icy version of Ogremon, and the victim looked like a white Agumon.

"Hyogamon, just stop it!" the white Agumon begged, crying uncontrollably as Hyogamon raised his club again.

"Can't do that, SnowAgumon." Hyogamon laughed. "You should know your place. The weak like you don't deserve to live in my sector."

"You don't own this forest!" SnowAgumon snapped, but shouted in pain when Hyogamon smacked him aside. The small white dinosaur slammed into a tree and slumped to the ground. His tears increased greatly, staring fearfully up at Hyogamon. "Please just let me go. I promise I'll never come back here again!"

"That's right, you won't." Hyogamon assured. "Because I'm gonna pound you so hard you won't be reconfigured until the next century!" He raised his club again, but by then Sorcermon had enough. He sprinted down the hill and jumped towards the icy ogre.

"_Crystal Barrage!" _Sorcermon threw the ice shards from his staff, forcing Hyogamon to jump back to avoid getting hit. Sorcermon landed between him and SnowAgumon, glaring fiercely. "This forest is not under your command. You have no right to harm the innocent."

"Who died and made you King of the North?" Hyogamon demanded.

"I do not claim myself as a king." Sorcermon assured. "But I will protect this creature from you!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Hyogamon lunged for Sorcermon, but the ice Majin made the first and final move.

"_Ice Illusion!" _Sorcermon made a strange gesture with his hands, and suddenly a great wind began whipping about. Hyogamon shouted in terror, the wind and snow blinding him. Sorcermon turned and hooked an arm around SnowAgumon's chest, under his arms, and carried him off as he ran away. SnowAgumon grunted in pain, but other than that didn't make a sound. Sorcermon kept running until Hyogamon's shouts died down to nothing from the distance. The ice Majin gently set SnowAgumon on the ground, noticing the true extent of the Rookie's wounds. Sorcermon set his staff on the ground and pulled off his gloves, cupping his hands around his mouth and breathing a spell into them. SnowAgumon watched, amazed, as Sorcermon's hands suddenly glowed bright blue. Sorcermon gently put his glowing hands to SnowAgumon's head, and the blue glow spread to cover the entire Digimon. When the glow died, Sorcermon pulled his gloves back on and SnowAgumon realized with a start that he no longer felt any pain and his injuries disappeared.

"How did you do that?" SnowAgumon breathed.

"It's just a special healing talent I have." Sorcermon shrugged.

SnowAgumon stared at the Majin before him. "Why did you help me? You could've just left me behind and leave me to get pummeled."

"I suppose so." Sorcermon agreed. "It just….I guess….well…." Sorcermon couldn't even explain his actions. He shook it off. "Just go run along. Find some friends or someone to stay with so you don't get into trouble."

SnowAgumon looked confused, but he smiled warmly. "Okay! Thanks a lot!" He stood and ran off, still smiling warmly.

Sorcermon watched SnowAgumon go until the white dinosaur disappeared from sight. Then he sighed and leaned against a nearby tree. "Why _did _I help him? Why did I feel so compelled to help him? It's strange; I have this new feeling in my chest. It's not like that voice that tells me I should stop talking to myself. If I start to think about it, it only seems natural that I protect others. I wonder where this feeling has been all my life, as short as it may be." He looked up towards the bare branches of the tree, staring at the cloudy skies above. "I think I'm starting to figure out who I am. I am Sorcermon; solider to Arukenimon and a guardian to the innocent. Once I defeat the DigiDestined, I can fulfill my duty to protect those who would be threatened by them."

A bright glow behind him made Sorcermon jump, and he turned to see the spot on the tree he leaned on begin to glow brightly with a white light. He stared in awe for a moment before something compelled him to reach out and touch the bark. Once he did, the glow died down and Sorcermon felt something in his palm. He closed his fingers around it, bringing his fist away from the tree. He waited for the glow to come again, but when it didn't he opened his fist to look at the object now in his hand. It looked like some sort of parallelogram with tiny hooks on the top, pure white with a strange of shape carved into it. The shape looked like a shield, with a crescent moon and some kind of flower/star shape in the middle.

"Wow." Sorcermon breathed. "Pretty. I guess if it came to me, it must be mine. But what could it be?"

* * *

><p>Most normal elementary students at Odaiba Elementary School would leave their last class laughing and chatting with their friends about things going on that afternoon: shopping trips, sports practices, homework, et cetera. That was for the normal students. The abnormal students might think about college or ways to avoid the "monster dog" that barked at them on their way home.<p>

Then there were the five DigiDestined who attended the school, currently sprinting as fast as they could down to the computer lab so they could save the Digital World and their own world too.

"Dudes! We can't just stand around!" Davis urged. "There's only one Destiny Stone left! We gotta find it before BlackWarGreymon does and totally loses his cool!"

"Yeah, well I'm going to lose _my _cool if you keep calling me 'dude'!" Kari snapped. She, Davis, and T.K. finally reached the computer lab, Yolei already there with the Digi-port up and ready to be opened. All the Digimon stood there, but Cody seemed to be missing. So was Ken. The kids and Digimon waited for a few minutes, anxious and a little jittery. Then, Yolei received an email.

"Looks like Ken has to help his mother clean." Yolei reported. "He says go on ahead without him and he'll join up with us when he finishes vacuuming the chimney."

"What about Rika?" T.K. asked.

"She and Wizardmon are already in the Digital World." Kari said. "They said they'd track BlackWarGreymon and let us know if he gets close to the Destiny Stone. Tentomon and the other Digimon are in contact with her, and they're trying their best to find the last Stone."

"Let's hope they find it soon." Gatomon said. "Lucky for us, the last Destiny Stone seems to be the hardest to find."

"That might also be a disadvantage to us." Poromon noted. "We have to hurry!"

"But what happened to Cody?" Kari wondered.

"Do you think he got pushed in a locker?" Davis asked, sounding both irritated and a little worried.

"I hope not." T.K. said half-seriously.

Suddenly the door slid open and Cody hurried inside. "Sorry I'm late!"

"Well?" Davis snapped, waiting for an explanation.

"We were worried about you." Upamon said, still imagining his human partner trapped in a locker.

"I was helping clean up the teacher's lunch room." Cody said apologetically. "It was my turn."

"You should be helping us find the last Destiny Stone!" Davis snapped. "I mean, between you and Ken we must be running a cleaning service here!"

"Sheesh, talk about getting dramatic." T.K. rolled his eyes.

"Yolei!" Kari called, urging the purple-haired girl to open the portal.

"Right!" Yolei nodded. "Digi-port, open! We can't waste any time! Let's go!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in an industrial zone in the Digital World, a certain Control Spire Digimon laid waste to the area. The Digimon that used to work there cleared out as fast as they could, and luckily they all made it out alive. BlackWarGreymon never really aimed to hurt them; he was too preoccupied with tearing the place apart looking for the Destiny Stone.<p>

"My mission is clear." BlackWarGreymon growled. "That Destiny Stone is here somewhere. And I'm going to find it if I have to destroy everything in my path!" He blasted his way out of a building and shot up into the sky. "Now where is it? _Black Tornado!" _He tore through several gas tanks, causing them to explode. He hovered in the smoke, searching but not seeing what he desired. His mind was too clouded to even sense it. "Where is it?" he snarled. "I still don't see it. I should just destroy everything here."

Mummymon and Arukenimon could feel the heat wave from where their car parked, but stayed in their spot so to better watch the show. Arukenimon watched closely through a pair of binoculars. "I bet even Sorcermon's enhanced strength couldn't match BlackWarGreymon's. Why can't you be as powerful as him, Mummymon?"

"Huh?" Mummymon seemed worried. "But I've got charm and class. Come on, don't tell me you're falling for that prefabricated hunk of shrapnel."

Arukenimon frowned and slammed her binoculars into the undead Digimon's head. "I don't have time to bother with all that nonsense!"

Mummymon, despite a major knob on his head, smiled in relief. "I'm glad. That's such a big relief." He fell forward, swooning, and hit the car horn. The loud blaring sound continued until Arukenimon could push him back against his seat. She looked back towards BlackWarGreymon, but her eyebrows furrowed upon not seeing him.

"Where'd he go?" Arukenimon looked up through the binoculars and noticed BlackWarGreymon started to get too close for comfort. "Uh oh. If we don't get moving that bucket of bolts is going to incinerate us! Wake up, Mummymon! I need you!" Too late, she realized what she said as Mummymon suddenly tried to kiss her.

"I thought you'd never come around!" Mummymon cooed. "Give us a kiss!"

Arukenimon grimaced and hit him again with her binoculars. "Anyone ever tell you you have bad breath?"

"Why that's impossible." Mummymon said innocently. "I think I brushed my teeth at least a year ago."

"You guys are the weirdest couple I've ever seen."

The two of them jumped and spun around to see Rika and Wizardmon sitting on top of the trunk behind them. "What are you two doing here?" Arukenimon snapped.

"When did they get there?" Mummymon wondered aloud.

"We're doing the same thing you're doing." Rika shrugged. "Watching out for BlackWarGreymon."

"Did it ever occur to you that we kind of hate you?" Arukenimon droned.

"I would like to point out that this was _her _idea." Wizardmon jerked a thumb towards Rika.

"Don't you hate it when the woman forces you into something potentially life-threatening?" Mummymon sighed.

"Oh you have no idea." Wizardmon agreed.

"Hey!" Arukenimon snapped. "We're still sitting right here you know!"

"Yeah, why don't you—" Rika's eyes widened and she gasped. "Watch out!" They all looked up and shouted in surprise to see BlackWarGreymon swinging a large crane and hook around, throwing it down right towards them. Mummymon slammed his foot on the gas and the car zoomed backwards and out of harm's way.

"It's a wonder he hasn't killed the two of you already!" Wizardmon said, sounding astounded.

"Would you two just get out of here?" Arukenimon shouted.

"Gladly!" Rika snapped. "You guys couldn't drive to save your life!" She and Wizardmon jumped up, letting the car speed off while they landed gracefully on the ground.

"So what now?" Wizardmon asked. "I hope you're not thinking about running in with BlackWarGreymon rampaging around like that."

"Well how else am I supposed to get his attention?" Rika shrugged.

"Rika, I know you don't like to listen to me, but I'm practically begging here—"

"Oh don't beg, it's not very becoming of you."

"I'm serious Rika! You go running in like that—"

"And we'll catch his attention. He won't hurt me."

Before Wizardmon could try another protest attempt, Rika already ran off towards BlackWarGreymon. Wizardmon scrambled to keep up with her. Rika hurried to BlackWarGreymon's line of sight, but he suddenly tore through another gas tank and Wizardmon was forced to tackle Rika behind some large metal pipes to hide from the explosion. They coughed in the smoke, and if Wizardmon didn't keep such a close eye on Rika he wouldn't have been able to catch her and stop her from running out again.

"This is suicidal." Wizardmon said. "We need to call the others."

"No." Rika said firmly. "We're doing this my way now. The others wouldn't understand." She jerked her arm free of Wizardmon's grip and ran off. Wizardmon stared after her for a moment before his gaze moved down to the grey cell phone in his hand: Rika's makeshift D-terminal, swiped from her pocket when he tackled her to safety. Normally, Wizardmon wouldn't go behind Rika's back like this. But lately, he noticed Rika seemed more and more troubled by something she wouldn't talk about. From what Wizardmon gathered, the pressure seemed to be on for the next DNA Digivolution in the DigiDestined's group. Only he, Patamon, and Armadillomon remained, and when two of them DNA Digivolved there'd be someone left out. Wizardmon didn't think it was simply being left out of DNA Digivolving that Rika feared; more like she feared becoming left out of the DigiDestined overall.

_Is that why she's trying so hard to get BlackWarGreymon on her side? _Wizardmon wondered. _Does she want him for a second partner or something? That would be interesting, I guess. _He heard another explosion and hurried to search for Rika. Much to his relief, the raven-haired girl looked unharmed as she readjusted her glasses and continued to run after BlackWarGreymon. Wizardmon opened Rika's D-terminal/cell phone and noticed the other DigiDestined close by; in fact, currently in the bamboo forest a short distance away. _I'm sorry to do this, Rika. _Wizardmon thought as he typed a message to Davis. _But I don't have a choice._

* * *

><p>"Uh oh." Davis announced. "BlackWarGreymon's in close range. I hope Ken put away his dust rag and is able to find us."<p>

"Give Ken a break." Veemon said. "After all, cleanliness is next to Digi-ness."

"Okay." Davis laughed.

"Hey Kari, want some mineral water?" Yolei offered, pulling a bottle of said drink from her bag.

"Sure, thanks!" Kari accepted the drink. "Mineral water, huh? Gee Yolei, since when did you get so healthy?"

"Since our family started selling it in our store." Yolei said, almost proudly.

"It's full of vitamins and minerals for good health." Hawkmon added in a similar tone.

"Next time you're in my family's grocery store, be sure to pick up a bottle or two." Yolei suggested coyly.

"That's right!" Hawkmon chimed in.

"What is this, a commercial?" Gatomon teased.

"Yolei!" Kari laughed, and soon everyone else did too.

Cody watched from a few feet away, staring almost longingly at the others. "Ever since those guys have been able to DNA Digivolve, they've become much closer friends."

"Don't worry." T.K. assured. "Soon you'll DNA Digivolve with the best of them."

"Think so?" Cody asked uncertainly.

T.K. gestured back to Armadillomon and Patamon. "Patamon and Armadillomon have been practicing hard and they're about to master it at any moment."

Patamon rested on Armadillomon's shoulders, laughing as the gold-colored Digimon tossed him up and caught him again. "Arma-pat! Pata-arm!" T.K. laughed too, and Cody allowed a soft smile to come on his face.

Kari suddenly caught whiff of something, and she closed her eyes to take a few more sniffs. "Hey! Check out that scrumptious smell!" Everyone else took a few deep breaths, smelling the air. Whatever it was, it smelled absolutely delicious, and that's when they all remembered that several hours passed since they ate lunch.

"That's awesome!" Yolei smiled. "My stomach is growling with sheer delight!"

Davis and Veemon jumped when their stomachs audibly growled, and they held them sheepishly. "Mine's growling with sheer hunger!" Davis laughed.

"Mine too!" Veemon added.

"Well I'm not gonna pass on good food." T.K. said. "And besides, it's not often we find ourselves in Digi-Chinatown so we may as well enjoy it."

Cody gasped softly in surprise. "Right now?"

"Yes!" Davis cheered. Cody watched, dumbfounded, as they all started walking through the ornately decorated gate to Digi-Chinatown and towards the direction of the sweet smells. They laughed and talked happily, but Cody didn't feel so happy. In fact, Armadillomon soon discovered his human partner stopped at the gate, his fists clenched and shaking a little in anger.

"Cody?" Armadillomon asked. "Is there something the matter? Aren't ya hungry?"

"BlackWarGreymon is out there looking for the last Destiny Stone." Cody growled. "Like we should be! Instead they're all in there! Eating! Stuffing themselves with egg foo young."

"But Cody." Armadillomon's somewhat sheepish voice and growling stomach made Cody pause. "Thing is, I love egg foo young."

Cody seemed surprised by his Digimon's words. "Armadillomon….." the young boy sighed, looking down. "I have a bad feeling that the reason you and Patamon haven't been able to DNA Digivolve is because I'm too serious all of the time. But I'll try and lighten up by the time dessert comes."

"Thanks, Cody." Armadillomon said as they continued walking. "But maybe you don't need to lighten up. Maybe you need a more serious DNA Digivolving partner, like Rika. She's pretty serious. And can you imagine what Wizardmon and I would look like fused together? I think that'd be pretty cool."

"Yeah, but then wouldn't that make T.K. and Patamon left out?" Cody reminded him. "Or will there be another DigiDestined joining us? I don't want anyone to be left out; not T.K., not Rika, not me, not anyone."

"Well Cody, only time will tell." Armadillomon said. "Maybe we'll find the answer sometime soon. But it's nice that you're so worried about something like this." He smiled at his human partner. "You have such a big heart, Cody, and I love to see it come out. I think Rika appreciates it too."

Cody smiled softly. "I'm really glad Rika's a part of our team. She reminds me a lot of Ken and how our friendship started out. But I notice she seems to be drifting away from us; I think she's afraid she doesn't belong with us, and _I'm _afraid she'll leave and we'll never see her again. I don't know what to tell her. She looks more and more ready to leave and nothing I say is changing that."

"I think she needs something to keep her here." Armadillomon said. "Something besides us."

Cody stared off into space, Armadillomon's words swimming in his brain.

* * *

><p>Rika and Wizardmon hid behind some smokestacks on a building roof, carefully peering out to watch BlackWarGreymon continue to destroy the city. Rika kept chasing the black armored Digimon for several minutes, but nothing she shouted or did could make him even pause. Though beginning to run low on steam, the ever-stubborn DigiDestined of Darkness kept a close eye on BlackWarGreymon.<p>

"What exactly is our plan here?" Wizardmon asked.

"I'm working on it." Rika assured. "But he's on the move, so we have to hurry!" She and Wizardmon moved to lunge out again, but suddenly a two large hands came around and covered their mouths, pulling the two of them backwards and through the window of a nearby building. Their captor let them down onto the hard ground, but when Rika and Wizardmon whipped around to fight they discovered Ken and Stingmon.

"What are you two doing here?" Rika asked.

"We were going to ask _you _the same thing!" Ken said. "Stingmon and I were on our way to the others when we noticed someone seemed out of place."

"Go to the others." Rika ordered. "I can take care of this."

"Take care of what?" Ken demanded. "Getting yourself killed?"

"Should we separate them?" Wizardmon whispered to Stingmon, the two of them standing some feet away.

"No." Stingmon whispered back. "Let them take care of it."

"I know I can get through to him." Rika insisted. "I can get him to be my friend, and then he won't attack us anymore. He won't threaten the Digital World."

"Rika, I'm worried about you." Ken said. "You're going to get yourself hurt because you think you need to do these things alone."

"It's not like anyone else agrees with me." Rika said. "Apart from Cody and maybe you."

"I won't be able to live with myself if something happened to you." Ken said. "You're my friend. All of the DigiDestined are your friends."

"You _are _my friends. But that's not enough."

"Then what more do you need?"

"I don't know."

"If it's something I or someone else can give you, say so!"

"How can I say what it is if I don't even know what I need?"

"So what's the problem then? What do you want from me?"

"This isn't about you!"

"I'm making it about me! I know you better than anyone else, Rika. You're my best friend. You were Sam's best friend."

"So?"

"So, that means we know you best. Sam's not here anymore, so I'm taking up the responsibilities of two. I want to help you Rika, if you'll just tell me how!"

Rika glared at Ken, then turned away from him. "I need something more, Ken. More than friends. I need something that tells me I belong with this team. Whether it's a sign or some divine being from above, it needs to be something."

Ken stared at Rika for a moment before nodding in understanding. "Then tell me how I can help. Tell me what I can do for my best friend."

Rika turned to look at Ken, her gaze softening. "Just leave me to do what I do. I'm going to keep fighting for BlackWarGreymon. You meet up with the others in case you run into Arukenimon and Mummymon."

Ken nodded. "Okay. Come on, Stingmon."

"I'm with you, Ken!" Stingmon nodded, picking up the raven-haired boy.

"Wizardmon, you take care of her." Ken told the Majin.

"As always." Wizardmon tipped his hat. Stingmon took off, he and his human partner flying from the building and disappearing through the bamboo forest. Rika and Wizardmon stood at the window, staring after the DigiDestined of Kindness.

"You're lucky, Rika." Wizardmon said.

"Why?" Rika asked. "Because Ken's such a great friend?"

"Well yes." Wizardmon nodded. "But also because he's a handsome young man. I would definitely approve if you decided to date him in the future."

Rika stared at her Digimon, then busted out laughing. Wizardmon fought a smile, despite his cowl covering everything but his eyes. Rika shoved Wizardmon playfully. "Where the heck did _that _come from?"

Wizardmon shrugged. "I suppose hanging out with you so much makes me just as insane as you."

Rika laughed again. Then, a gust of wind blew through the window and knocked her hat off her head. The hat flew back several feet and she jogged to keep up.

The second she picked her hat up, a massive explosion tore through the building.

Rika saw Wizardmon fly off to one side, with no indication of consciousness. Her breath whooshed from her lungs, stopping her from screaming. She saw the sky above her and rocks falling all around her; any minute now her back would hit the ground and she'd most likely die from spinal damage.

Suddenly, something hard rammed into her and her vision became clouded in black. She felt a jerk, indicating she landed hard on the ground. That is, whoever saved her landed hard on the ground. Then she realized she closed her eyes, and Rika opened them to see familiar black armor. Her eyes traveled upwards until they connected with a pair of yellow ones.

"How many times is that now that you saved my life?" Rika asked in a soft voice.

BlackWarGreymon didn't answer for a moment. "I suppose I lost count."

Rika smiled softly, then her face turned to horror. "Wizardmon! We have to find him!"

"Who?" BlackWarGreymon asked.

"My Digimon partner!" Rika wiggled a bit, but BlackWarGreymon's grip seemed to tighten. She paused at the action, staring at BlackWarGreymon. "Why do you stare at me like that?"

"I don't know." BlackWarGreymon admitted, still holding Rika to his chest almost as though she were a teddy bear. "You intrigue me."

Rika raised an eyebrow. "I _intrigue _you?"

"Yes." BlackWarGreymon nodded. "Out of every creature I met, Digimon or human, you make me feel something I never felt before. I don't know if it's in my heart or if it's just something you did to me, but I know you are different from the others."

"Oh?" Rika asked, sounding a little worried.

"Well, for one thing you don't attack me like they do." BlackWarGreymon said.

Rika giggled a little. "Yeah. That's true."

"Why do you not attack me?" BlackWarGreymon asked.

"Because….you intrigue me." Rika said. She laughed, but BlackWarGreymon only stared. "I guess because I see something in you. I believe you could be a great friend; you have a heart, I know it, and I don't want to see you destroyed."

"So what do you propose I do?" BlackWarGreymon asked. "Perhaps your friends should just stay out of my way."

"Or maybe you need to find your true destiny." Rika suggested slowly.

"I only know the destiny that involves the destruction of the Destiny Stones." BlackWarGreymon said. "I must draw out my greatest opponent and fight him."

"Are you sure that's your destiny?" Rika asked. "How can you be so sure?"

"How can _you _be so sure of _your _destiny?" BlackWarGreymon countered. "You call that Wizardmon your Digimon partner. Why?"

"Because I'm a DigiDestined." Rika said. "He's my partner. I know because I was given a tag, Crest, and Digivice. I am the DigiDestined of Darkness. I received the Crest because it's my destiny."

"How can you be so confident that is your destiny?" BlackWarGreymon asked.

"Because the Crest chose me." Rika explained. "Being a DigiDestined isn't something you choose; _it_ chooses _you_."

BlackWarGreymon nodded slowly in understanding. "Is it possible for _me _to be a DigiDestined? Could that be my destiny?"

"I'm not sure." Rika admitted. "Sorry, I don't really know how it works."

BlackWarGreymon growled. "Why can't you give me my answers? How am I supposed to find the answers to my questions when even _you _can't answer them?"

Rika looked down. She rested her forehead against BlackWarGreymon's chest, feeling him jolt a little at the action. "I'm sorry. I really am. I wish I could answer your questions. I wish I could be of more use to you." She felt hot tears build up behind her eyes, but she held them back. "I wish there was a way to convince you of how badly I want to be your friend."

BlackWarGreymon stared down at the girl in his arms. "Child. Do you pity me?"

"Not really pity. Just….empathy." Rika looked up and smiled softly. "You know, maybe you could be my Digimon partner along with Wizardmon. I bet we could make that work somehow."

BlackWarGreymon stared at Rika. But before he could answer a bright green light shone across the land, casting shadows all around. BlackWarGreymon and Rika looked off in the distance, to the source of the light, and both of them could feel an intense power radiating from the same direction.

_The Destiny Stone. _BlackWarGreymon thought.

_Uh oh. _Rika thought. Suddenly, BlackWarGreymon took off into the skies, still holding Rika to his chest.

Wizardmon moaned as he pushed himself upright, shoving rocks off him. His brain felt clouded and his senses numb, but he sprung back to life at Rika's surprised yelp. He looked up just in time to see BlackWarGreymon fly off with his human sister.

"Rika!" Wizardmon called, shooting off into the sky and flying after the dark armored Digimon.

* * *

><p>"A perfect turn of events!" Arukenimon smiled, staring up at the Destiny Stone as it shone brightly for another minute before the light died down. "How lucky! Now the Digital World will be my oyster! Now I need my black pearl."<p>

"Help!" Mummymon cried as he splashed around in the soup springs. "I've got a mushroom up my nose! Help!"

Arukenimon growled in annoyance. "Can it!" She threw a rock towards Mummymon, who caught it and didn't realize the weight of the stone until it forced him to sink.

A loud _THUD _and a familiar voice sounded behind the spider woman. "The final Destiny Stone."

Arukenimon turned to BlackWarGreymon. "I hope you came for the soup." Her eyes widened behind her sunglasses. "Why on earth did you bother with capturing that girl?"

"I'm not necessarily captured!" Rika called, hanging onto BlackWarGreymon's armor.

"Don't worry about her." BlackWarGreymon assured, moving Rika to one arm while holding up the other for battle. "I'll shatter that stone to pieces!"

"Stop!"

They all turned at Davis's shout as the DigiDestined ran up, ready for battle.

"Figures." Arukenimon scoffed as she backed away from the oncoming battle. "Those nosy kids always show up at the wrong time."

The DigiDestined bravely put themselves between BlackWarGreymon and the Destiny Stone. "Don't try it or we'll turn you into a heap of sardine cans!" Davis shouted.

"We'll save you, Rika!" Yolei called.

"I don't need saving!" Rika called back.

"You just never seem to learn your lesson, do you?" BlackWarGreymon growled.

"Obnoxious parasites." Arukenimon hissed. Mummymon would've also thrown a taunt if he hadn't recently pulled himself from the soup springs. "Show them what you're made of, BlackWarGreymon!"

BlackWarGreymon growled, summoning a smaller Terra Destroyer in his claws. "I don't need you to tell me!" He threw the energy blast, sending Mummymon and Arukenimon flying and on fire into the bamboo. Rika laughed out loud, but soon quieted when BlackWarGreymon turned to the DigiDestined.

"_ExVeemon…Stingmon….DNA Digivolve to….Paildramon!"_

"_Aquilamon…..Gatomon….DNA Digivolve to…..Silphymon!"_

Even with one arm still around Rika, BlackWarGreymon could still throw a powerful Terra Destroyer that almost incinerated the hybrid Digimon. Paildramon fired his Desperado Blaster, but BlackWarGreymon simply side-stepped to avoid it. He swiped Silphymon's Static Force aside. Rika involuntarily let out a shocked scream from the blows coming so close.

"Guys be careful!" Cody called. "You might hit Rika!"

"Let her go, BlackWarGreymon!" Paildramon ordered.

"I don't think she _wants _to be let go." BlackWarGreymon snarled.

"Don't worry, Rika!" Silphymon called. "We'll save you!"

"You guys must have cotton in your ears!" Rika shouted. "I told you I don't—"

"_Let her go!"_

BlackWarGreymon shouted in pain and surprise when something rammed into his back, forcing him to almost throw Rika to the ground. Wizardmon, who ran into the black armored Digimon, darted forward and wrapped his arms around Rika, positioning himself so he cushioned her fall. They skid to the ground, right beside the human children and away from the battle.

T.K. looked to Cody. "Ready?"

Cody mirrored T.K.'s look of determination. "Yeah, let's go!"

Their D3s began to glow with a bright light. The light traveled over to Ankylomon and Angemon as they began to merge.

"_Ankylomon….Angemon…..DNA Digivolve to…Shakkoumon!"_

When the light died, a new DNA Digivolved Digimon stood ready to fight. Though looking like it was made of white and gold porcelain, there wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind that it looked pretty fierce as it towered over BlackWarGreymon in height. T.K. and Cody hugged, laughing and cheering for themselves.

But Rika could only stare in near horror at the new hybrid Digimon. She couldn't feel happy for them. To her, this new DNA Digivolution proved her theory to be true: that she was the odd one out from the very beginning. That she never belonged with the DigiDestined. That maybe, just maybe, she was never supposed to be their friend in the first place.

"No….." Rika breathed.


	33. Kyoto Dragon

**A/N: I think many of you wanted Wizardmon to DNA Digivolve in the last chapter, and I'll admit that Shakkoumon looks kinda weird. Or, as canuck 72 put it, like "a giant tea cup." I can say Wizardmon will DNA Digivolve in future chapters, and I can assure you he'll look really cool.**

**Enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Episode 37: Kyoto Dragon<strong>

"_Ankylomon….Angemon…..DNA Digivolve to…Shakkoumon!"_

"We did it!" Cody cheered. "Finally! Now we don't have to make Paildramon and Silphymon do all the hard work!"

"You said it." T.K. nodded. "Let him have it, Shakkoumon!"

"I'll prove my metal!" Shakkoumon assured.

BlackWarGreymon seemed undeterred by the new Digimon. "You're standing between me and the last Destiny Stone. Now get out of my way."

"Who's gonna make us?" Silphymon countered.

"Move or else!" BlackWarGreymon threatened.

"We choose 'else'!" Paildramon retorted bravely.

"Very well!" BlackWarGreymon growled. _"Terra Destroyer!" _The massive blast nailed Shakkoumon, the shockwave almost sending the DigiDestined to the ground.

"He's still too strong for us!" Ken groaned.

"Darn it!" Davis sighed in frustration.

At the time, the kids shielded their eyes from the blast. But when they looked to see what happened, they gasped in surprise to see Shakkoumon holding out pretty well against the blow. Soon, the Terra Destroyer disappeared as the white and gold Digimon absorbed it.

"Shakkoumon!" Cody cheered.

"He swallowed up BlackWarGreymon's Terra Destroyer." T.K. breathed.

"Yeah!" Davis cheered.

"_Harmonious Spirit!" _Twin beams of energy shot from Shakkoumon's eyes, though they only nicked BlackWarGreymon's armor. "Now guys!"

Paildramon and Silphymon nodded and shot forward, ready to attack. "You know the plan, Paildramon!" Silphymon called.

"Right!" Paildramon nodded. "No matter what, protect the Destiny Stone!"

"Me first!" Silphymon's body became enveloped in a pale pink glow. _"Astral Laser!" _

BlackWarGreymon simply swiped his claws and the blast dissolved to nothing. "You asked for it!" He shot forward, grabbing Paildramon's arm and throwing him to the ground.

"Hey that's not fair!" Davis cried. He and everyone else gasped in shock when Silphymon lunged for BlackWarGreymon but the latter backhanded the hybrid to the grass.

"Rika!" Wizardmon stood up, ready to fight. "I need to Digivolve and help them." Upon receiving no reply, he turned to see Rika still sitting on the ground, her eyes shielded by the brim of her hat. "Rika?"

"I knew it." Rika murmured, so soft Wizardmon almost didn't hear her. "You didn't DNA Digivolve with Ankylomon or Angemon. We're the odd ones out, as usual."

Wizardmon knelt down to be at Rika's eye level. "Rika, it's okay. I don't need to DNA Digivolve."

"No, it's _not _okay." Rika insisted. "It's not fair."

"That's extremely childish to think like that." Wizardmon scolded. "The fate of the world is at stake."

Rika looked up so her sorrowful lavender eyes locked with his dark jade green ones. "No, I mean it's not fair to _you. _I'm sorry you had to be stuck with me. I was always the one who didn't belong, even now. It's not fair that you have to be stuck with someone who doesn't have a place here when you're already such good friends with everyone else."

Wizardmon stared at Rika, a little shocked by her words. "Rika…."

"Now I'm angry!" Paildramon growled.

BlackWarGreymon growled a little. "Why do you persist this way? You can't win!"

"_Kachina Bombs!" _Shakkoumon launched numerous spiked disks towards BlackWarGreymon, who pulled the shield from off his back around to block the attack.

"Why do you keep trying to protect the Destiny Stones?" BlackWarGreymon demanded.

"It's a little something we call 'saving the world'!" Silphymon declared.

"_Desperado Blaster!" _Paildramon's gunfire bombarded BlackWarGreymon, but he kept his shield up to deflect the blows.

"How can you be so certain that what you fight for is right?" BlackWarGreymon asked, sounding a little more sincerely curious than angry.

"_Static Force!" _This time, Silphymon's attack shattered BlackWarGreymon's shield and sent him careening into the ground.

"I think we did it!" Paildramon cheered.

"You're right!" Silphymon agreed.

"It's over! We win!" Davis cheered. But they gasped when BlackWarGreymon rose to his feet again. Only this time, his armor looked a little dented and scuffed up, and oil spewed from the small cables on him.

"I keep asking questions of my enemies and yet I still get no answers." BlackWarGreymon snarled. "Why am I so different from them? Why was I created like this? Well if they won't answer me then why should I be concerned about them anymore? I have given every opponent a chance to convince me otherwise, but now I am through talking! Why should I care if they are destroyed? Or for that matter they're whole precious Digital World?!"

His words shocked the DigiDestined, sans Rika, to their core. Only now did they realize what Gabumon meant when he told them about the soul-searching questions BlackWarGreymon asked Agumon.

"He seems so sad." Kari said sadly. "What he needs is a friend."

"Gee, doesn't that sound familiar?" Rika muttered bitterly.

Kari came over and knelt down beside Rika. "We're sorry Rika. I guess you had a good point about BlackWarGreymon after all."

"Destroying the Destiny Stone means my own destruction as well, but if that's what it takes to finally find my answer, then so be it." BlackWarGreymon began marching towards the Destiny Stone.

"Don't take another step or else!" Paildramon ordered.

"I choose 'or else'." BlackWarGreymon mocked. The Digimon lunged, but BlackWarGreymon threw them aside with ease. The human children could only watch the fierce battle.

"It's no use!" Ken said. "We can't stop him!"

"But if the Destiny Stone is destroyed the whole Digital World will be lost!" Kari cried.

"I'm afraid it won't only be the DigiWorld but our world will be destroyed too!" Cody added.

"Time for Plan B!" Davis urged. "By the way, does anybody know what Plan B is?"

"We can try moving the Stone." Cody suggested.

"Good idea." Davis agreed. "Let's do it while the DNA Digivolved Digimon are still able to hold off BlackWarGreymon."

"How can we lift that stone?" T.K. asked.

"We'll never know unless we try!" Davis urged. "It's better than doing nothing."

"Davis is right." Yolei nodded. "Besides, no one has any better ideas."

"I have a better idea." The kids whipped around to Arukenimon and Mummymon as they approached. "Say goodbye. That's your cue to cry and beg for mercy. Ready to give up?"

"If you're ready to shut up!" Davis shouted.

"Forget her, Davis." Ken growled. "She's not worth it!"

Arukenimon laughed. "You're trying to get me upset, but it won't work. Mummymon."

Mummymon laughed as he morphed to his Digimon form. "I'm going to put these kids under wraps for the last time."

Wizardmon narrowed his eyes and hurriedly put himself between the children and the undead Digimon. "You'll have to go through me first!"

"Gladly!" Mummymon laughed, firing his gun.

"_Nightmare Syndrome!" _

The kids and Wizardmon jumped as a ghost-like creature with arms and multiple pairs of eyes came forward and swallowed Mummymon's blast before disappearing. Mummymon and Arukenimon looked just as surprised, and suddenly Digitamamon and Tapirmon appeared.

"I warned you not to drink out of the Chinese Soup Spring!" Digitamamon growled.

"You'll pay for that!" Tapirmon added as the two of them rammed into Mummymon and Arukenimon, sending all four of them flying into the bushes.

"Take care of the Destiny Stone kids!" Digitamamon called.

"Don't worry!" Davis assured.

"Thanks Digitamamon! Thanks Tapirmon!" Yolei called.

"Now's our chance!" Ken urged. "Let's go!" They all looked to the Destiny Stone. "How _do _we move that thing?"

Davis thought for a moment. "I got it! Let's try using the ol' D3s!" It seemed a little crazy, but they knew their D3s did strange things before, so why not try it now? They all took out their D3s and aimed them for the Destiny Stone.

Ken looked to Rika. "Rika, get your Digivice out! We need your help!"

"No you don't." Rika assured, rising to her feet. "I'm going to help the Digimon fight."

"What are you, crazy?" Cody gasped. "We need your help here! We need your Digivice!"

"Then you guys use it." Rika pulled her Digivice from her pocket and tossed it to Ken. "It's of more use to you than I ever will be."

"Why do you think that?" Ken demanded.

"Guys, it's time we stopped kidding ourselves!" Rika snapped. "I never belonged with this team and I was never meant to be your friend! I'm an orphan. I don't have a family and I don't belong anywhere. Let's just accept that and move on!"

"Why?" Ken marched up to Rika. "Because of your Crest? Because that thing says you belong with darkness? Forget about it!" Ken took Rika's Digivice and pushed it into her hand. "That Crest means nothing compared to what this Digivice means! This Digivice means you're a DigiDestined! It means you're a part of this team! Nothing can change that and nobody can take that away from you! Do you understand me?" Rika only stared at Ken, so he continued. "We need you Rika. We need you to help us because we can't do it without you. We're not saying that just to make you feel better. You _belong _with us."

"It's true, Rika." Kari said. "Please come help us." The other DigiDestined voiced their agreements. Rika stared at them for a moment, then looked to her Digivice in her hands.

"Rika." Wizardmon spoke up. "Please."

Rika's eyes hardened to a determined glare. "I don't believe you. But no way am I letting you guys down again. Let's do this."

The DigiDestined smiled and they gathered in front of the Destiny Stone, pointing their Digivices towards the large, round rock. At first, they didn't know what would happen or even what they were supposed to do. Then, the Destiny Stone began to glow brightly. Six streaks of light appeared in the sky, converging into one.

"What are all those lights doing?" Yolei wondered aloud.

"They're combining into one!" Cody realized. Suddenly, the lights shot down into the DigiDestined's D3s. A light from the Destiny Stone shot down into Rika's Digivice. Then, different colored lights that would've matched the colors of their Crests shot from the Digivice and D3s into the Destiny Stone. The Destiny Stone glowed brighter, a swirl and cloud of colors. A stream of those rainbow colors shot up into the sky, and dark storm clouds began to form. It caught the attention of the battling Digimon, who stopped and stared as a massive creature appeared from the clouds. The creature's only discernable feature seemed to be its dragon-like head with flowing silvery facial hair and a blue helmet-like piece of headgear with yellow designs and a blade-like horn on his nose. The rest of his long body seemed like an invisible snake with chains wrapped around him and a pair of wings here and there. The creature had four chocolate brown eyes, and though he seemed a little irritated at the moment those eyes held much compassion.

"He came to life!" Kari breathed. "That's the same Digimon we saw when BlackWarGreymon destroyed the other Destiny Stones. He's huge!"

"They guy's almost as big as my appetite!" Davis commented.

"It better know how to fight, because BlackWarGreymon's been looking for him!" T.K. noted.

Rika heard movement close to her and noticed Wizardmon kneeling down on one knee, keeping his head down in reverence. "Wizardmon, what are you doing?"

"Showing respect to him like you should be!" Wizardmon hissed.

"Why?" Rika whispered. "Who's 'him'?"

BlackWarGreymon never took his eyes off the dragon-like Digimon. "Finally. My ultimate opponent has appeared."

The dragon Digimon seemed to finally notice he had an audience and stopped to stare at the black armored Digimon. He spoke in a deep, echoing voice. "You. You are the one with the accursed soul of darkness."

"Soul of darkness?" BlackWarGreymon repeated. "You can't mean me."

"Tell me, why do you destroy the Destiny Stones?" the dragon asked.

"I did it to make you appear so we can fight." BlackWarGreymon spoke almost as if it were obvious. "You are stronger than any Digimon I've ever seen before."

"Do you have any idea who I am?" the dragon asked.

"Only that you are my ultimate opponent." BlackWarGreymon said.

"I am Azulongmon!" the dragon said, his voice rising in volume.

"Azulongmon." BlackWarGreymon repeated.

"_That's _Azulongmon?" Rika breathed.

"Yes." Wizardmon nodded.

"But who is he?" Ken asked.

"I am the Guardian of the Eastern Hemisphere of the Digital World and the Keeper of the Spheres of Light and Hope." Azulongmon said, answering Ken's question but still talking to BlackWarGreymon. "Because you have destroyed the Destiny Stones, this world has become unbalanced! Do you understand the consequences of what you have done?"

"I don't care about any of that nonsense. Fight me, Azulongmon! It is my destiny!" BlackWarGreymon flew up towards Azulongmon, growling and ready to fight.

"No, don't!" Wizardmon called, jumping to his feet.

Azulongmon hardly flinched, but launched a light from four knobs on his body that the others assumed must be his legs. BlackWarGreymon stopped, shouting in pain. "You fool. You mean _that's _the reason you caused all this suffering? When it is your existence itself that seals my power and causes the unbalance in this world!"

"My existence?" BlackWarGreymon repeated, getting angrier. "What do you mean? I want the truth!"

"You can't handle the truth!" Azulongmon growled. "The Control Spires here in the eastern region were built to seal my power. And you are made from a hundred of those Spires. You do the math."

The reality of it hit BlackWarGreymon like a boulder. "What?"

"The Control Spires seal his power?" Davis repeated.

"And I was the one that built them." Ken breathed.

Rika glared. "Yeah, but we all know whose idea it was."

"What does this mean?" BlackWarGreymon demanded, looking to the DigiDestined.

"All right, so now you know, big deal." Arukenimon huffed as she and Mummymon appeared, the latter holding an unconscious Digitamamon and Tapirmon.

"It's Arukenimon." Ken growled. He and the others hoped they would be gone by now.

"Our plan was a simple one." Arukenimon explained with a smirk. "Build as many Control Spires as possible and destroy the balance of the Digital World once and for all. You got a problem, so sue me."

"And that's the reason you chose me to be the Digimon Emperor, isn't it?" Ken guessed. "Because you knew I would build those Control Spires for you!"

"You win the booby prize." Arukenimon droned. "Unfortunately, just as construction was going along swimmingly you decided to join forces with the other Digi-dodos and start destroying all my precious Control Spires. I knew we couldn't rely on our little DigiDestined of Darkness because she was simply too unpredictable. Not to mention uncooperative; and don't even get me started on that whole merging mess with Wizardmon." She looked up to BlackWarGreymon. "That's why I created you to stop them, but instead you wander around the Digital World like a baby looking for its bottle. Didn't it ever occur to you that Digimon like yourself have no souls of their own?"

"Hey shut up!" Rika shouted. "You're wrong!"

Suddenly, BlackWarGreymon shot down to Arukenimon and lifted her up by the front of her dress. "Put me down!" the spider woman demanded. "This is a brand new outfit! Do you know how hard it is to get wrinkles out of polyester? Don't get mad at me because Fate has dealt you a bad hand."

"Fate?" BlackWarGreymon snarled. "Then why am I standing here within an inch of destroying you? Is that Fate too?!"

"BlackWarGreymon!" Azulongmon sighed tiredly. "You ask more questions than Cody does. No one can answer it but you. You see, every life has a purpose, a reason. The circumstances surrounding its birth don't matter."

"Gee, doesn't _that _sound familiar too?" Rika cast a pointed glare at the others.

"Not now, Rika." Davis muttered.

"You're saying that _my _life has a meaning too?" BlackWarGreymon asked, albeit hopefully.

"Precisely." Azulongmon confirmed. "But, it is up to you to find out what that meaning is. BlackWarGreymon, I have nothing more to tell you. Unless you want to hear a good joke Gennai told me while I was in limbo."

BlackWarGreymon didn't answer. He roughly threw Arukenimon to the ground before turning back to Azulongmon. "I am grateful to have met you. I now know that my existence has meaning…..even if that meaning is only to be hated and loathed." He began walking off, passing right by the DigiDestined humans.

Rika hurried after him and took a set of his claws in her hands. "I don't hate you! Nobody is destined to be hated all their lives. Don't go; let me help you find a different destiny."

BlackWarGreymon turned and knelt down to Rika, gently placing his paw on the side of her head. "Thank you, Child. You have offered me more answers than I could ever find on my own. Now, with Azulongmon's wisdom and my memory of you, I will be able to answer more of my questions on my own." He stood up, his eye still locked with Rika's until the moment he turned and walked away. "Goodbye…..Rika….."

Rika stared after him, allowing his claws to slip free from her grip. "Where are you going?" Davis called.

"Someplace where things go to disappear." BlackWarGreymon replied, disappearing through the thick bamboo forest.

Rika sighed silently. "Bye…."

Arukenimon blinked in surprise. "Disappear? Mummymon, let's go!"

"Where?" Mummymon asked.

"To stop him you fool!" Arukenimon snapped.

"Oh, right!" Mummymon tossed Digitamamon and Tapirmon aside as he ran after Arukenimon.

"Oh, don't go anywhere." Arukenimon told the DigiDestined. "I'll be back to destroy you in a minute!"

"Ditto that!" Mummymon added as they passed.

"Destiny Stones can break my bones but you guys are real losers!" Davis teased.

"Oh, that's clever." Mummymon said half-sarcastically. "Did you write it yourself?" He and Arukenimon disappeared after BlackWarGreymon, and the DNA Digivolved Digimon returned to their lower forms before running into their respective trainer's arms.

"And now for you, DigiDestined." Azulongmon's booming voice caught their attention. "I am one of the four Mega Digimon who preserve the balance of the Digital World. I protect the Eastern Region."

"Hey, that sounds like Kyoto." Yolei realized.

"Kyoto, how?" Davis asked.

"Remember I told you about it?" Yolei explained. "I learned it from Sora's dad. The city is protected by spirits in the east, west, south, and north."

"That's correct." Azulongmon said. "There are many similarities between your world and ours. After a long battle we guardians were sealed away by each of the Dark Masters. They didn't even leave us something to read. It was then that seven of the eight DigiDestined came to the Digital World. And once the seven had returned to their own world, the Dark Masters dismantled it, and reshaped it to fit their own needs."

"Spiral Mountain." Kari guessed.

"The eight children and their Digimon were able to defeat the Dark Masters." Azulongmon continued. "But we were still trapped beneath the seal. In order to break the seal, we needed to take away the power from the DigiDestined Crests. Of course, Joe complained about it, but he complained about everything. Unfortunately, it meant the Digimon could no longer Digivolve to their Ultimate levels. That is why our help is needed now."

"So that's the reason our Digimon could only Digivolve during certain times." T.K. realized.

"Hey T.K., this must be what Izzy was talking about earlier." Cody added. "Somehow he must've known about Azulongmon."

"Yes, Izzy is quite intelligent." Azulongmon said. "In fact, without that intelligence, he'd be…well, he'd be Tai. The dark powered Control Spires kept the Digimon from being able to Digivolve. Those who wished for harmony in the Digital World decided to use an ancient form of Digivolving."

"You must mean Armor Digivolving." Davis guessed.

"Correct." Azulongmon nodded. "They chose several Digimon who still had the ancient powers and prepared them for the arrival of the DigiDestined. In other words, they were drafted. In order to combat the powers of darkness, they made three new Digivices and sent them to the new DigiDestined."

"Okay, now you're talking about me, right?" Davis asked.

"Hello?" Yolei piped up. "The world doesn't revolve around you."

"He's talking about all of us." Cody corrected.

"But something happened that was not anticipated." Azulongmon continued. "It seemed you had a device that was capable of storing several Digi-eggs at once, sort of like a digital egg carton. I believe you call it a D-terminal. So, when the Digi-eggs of Sincerity, Friendship, and Reliability were needed, they were given to you. Also, the Crest of Kindness was hidden by the powers of darkness. So it was necessary to rebuild it into the Digi-egg of Miracles."

Suddenly, a vicious roar tore through the air, and everyone looked up to see BlackWarGreymon flying off into the clouds. "He sounds so sad." Kari said sorrowfully.

"My friend," Azulongmon sighed. "I feel your agony. I hope that one day you will find the answer to your question."

"Well, at least now you can regain your power, right Azulongmon?" Davis said hopefully.

"Not right away." Azulongmon admitted. "The Digital World is too unbalanced. First, I must plant my seeds of light where the Destiny Stones once stood and hope for the best. I never had much of a green thumb."

"What kind of seeds of light?" Ken asked.

"The seeds that will sprout and take on the same purpose as the Destiny Stones." Azulongmon replied.

"That's a relief." Yolei sighed.

"And then the balance of the Digital World will be restored little by little." Kari said.

"How about that, guys?" Davis smiled warmly. "We really did it!"

"Looks that way." T.K. agreed.

"Now that's what I call—" Davis paused. "What's wrong with you, Ken? Why so quiet?"

"Nothing." Ken sighed.

"Come on." Davis urged. "If you've got something to say, then just say it already."

Ken sighed again. "I was just thinking that we might just have to find and destroy every single thing that has to do with the powers of darkness. Otherwise they will continue to grow bigger and bigger and before you know it, we'll have a bunch more creatures like BlackWarGreymon roaming around."

"Oh no, Ken!" Leafmon whimpered.

"You can't be serious, Ken." Davis groaned.

_Ken and Rika understand the powers of darkness more than any of us. _Kari thought. _After all, Ken's the one that first created Kimeramon._

"I don't think that'll be necessary." T.K. piped up, earning looks from everyone else. "I agree that the powers of darkness are a terrible thing. And I think I speak for all of us by saying it would be easier if they were destroyed."

"_No it wouldn't!"_

Everyone jumped at Rika's outburst. "I'm sick and tired of you guys talking about the 'powers of darkness' like it's a bad thing!"

"We didn't mean it like that, Rika." T.K. said. "I guess I forgot—"

"About my stupid Crest?" Rika finished angrily. "As usual. You guys always forgot about me. It's just like I always believed: I never belonged with you guys. I don't know why I wanted to join you in the first place! My Crest makes me your enemy!"

"Ah yes. You're the DigiDestined of Darkness." Azulongmon guessed.

"I wasn't talking to you, you overgrown lizard!" Rika snapped. She grit her teeth in pain when Wizardmon suddenly stomped on her foot.

"Rika, we do not take that tone with one of the divine Digimon Sovereign." Wizardmon hissed.

"It's quite all right, Wizardmon." Azulongmon assured. "And if you listen, Rika, I believe T.K. wasn't finished."

Everyone looked to T.K., who swallowed a little from the pressure but continued. "I was going to say that even though most of us would believe it best to destroy the darkness completely, I just don't think that it's possible."

Even Rika seemed surprised by that. "Really?"

"But why not?" Ken asked.

"Because where there's light, you'll always find darkness as well." T.K. explained.

"T.K.'s right." Kari agreed. "And the stronger the light is, then the deeper the darkness."

"Exactly." T.K. nodded.

"Which brings me to your Crest, Rika Yamada." Azulongmon said, catching Rika's full attention. "When your friends speak of the powers of darkness, they speak of all the evil things that threaten the Digital World. But you're right; there's nothing wrong with darkness. There are many kinds of darkness that are good."

"So why was I chosen?" Rika asked. "Because I have so much darkness within me?"

"The Crest of Darkness was drawn to you because of your nature, yes, and because you suffered through numerous tragedies." Azulongmon said. "But that does not mean the reason you were chosen is to be evil."

"Then what _is _my reason?" Rika asked hurriedly. "What does it mean to be the DigiDestined of Darkness?"

"Unlike BlackWarGreymon's question, this is something I can easily answer." Azulongmon said. "The balance of the Digital World and your world are reliant not only on the Destiny Stones but on the balance between light and darkness. The Dark Masters brought so much evil that it overpowered the light and hope of the world. It was even too much for the DigiDestined of Hope and Light. When the powers of darkness began to grow so much that the light could not match it, your Crest was created, along with the Digivice. However, your Crest was lost, stolen even, until it was given to your Digimon partner so he may find you. Even though Wizardmon was tasked to find you for evil needs, you were always supposed to be the DigiDestined of Darkness for good. You keep the darkness in balance with the light; and Kari, you keep the powers of light in balance with the darkness. It is no accident that the two of you are similar yet different in so many ways; it is Fate."

"Wow." Kari breathed. "Who would've thought, Rika? We really _are_ twins in a way!"

"The other three Digimon Sovereigns and I also could not take away the power of your Crest because of all the evil the Dark Masters and their minions left in the Digital World. The power of your Crest helps keep the barrier up to protect it." Azulongmon continued. "Also, it's not like Gennai could contact you; in fact, he forgot you even existed. Wizardmon's egg was sent to Witchenly until the time could come for you two to be united. But your Crest and Digivice were lost, long before Piedmon attacked and Gennai saved the other Crests, Digivices, and Digi-Eggs. You are very different from the other DigiDestined, but that's not a bad thing. Kari and T.K. are different from the others as well."

"But I really am a DigiDestined?" Rika asked. When Azulongmon nodded, the raven-haired girl jumped and cheered. "Yes! I knew it! Whoo-hoo!" She paused. "But wait. Is that why Wizardmon can't DNA Digivolve? Because he still has the power to go to Ultimate?"

"Well, yes and no." Azulongmon said. "The real reason is simply because you do not have another DigiDestined Digimon to DNA Digivolve with him. But rest assured; you will receive one soon."

"Really?" Yolei asked, astounded. "So we're going to have another DigiDestined join our group?"

"Not a human." Azulongmon shook his head. "Rika will have two Digmon partners, to bring full balance to your team."

"Bring full balance?" Kari repeated.

"Alone, you each stand for something important." Azulongmon said. "Light, Darkness, Courage, Kindness, and so on. But together, you stand for the balance of the Digital World. Rika, your Crest combined with Kari's stands for Balance. Kari and Yolei are already opposites enough that their Digimon could DNA Digivolve. With the knowledge that the DigiDestined of Darkness needed another Digimon to bring full balance to your team, the four divine Digimon instructed a powerful Wisemon to create the second Digimon."

"The Wisemon from Witchenly." Wizardmon realized. "But….."

"Yes, we heard he was destroyed when he finished." Azulongmon nodded. "But do not lose faith. Your Crest will guide you to your second Digimon. You will find your second partner, Rika, and everything will become clear."

Kari came over, pulling out a familiar tag and black Crest from her pocket. "Will you take your Crest back, Rika? Please say you will."

Rika smiled warmly, accepting the tag and Crest from her friend. "I won't give up." Rika promised, putting the tag around her neck. "Never again. Thank you, Azulongmon."

"We have to remember that no matter how the powers of darkness surround you, the most important thing is not to lose the light inside." T.K. said.

"But I don't understand." Ken said. "What _is _the light inside?"

"The light inside is hope." Azulongmon said. "When all around you is darkness, you must keep the light on inside your heart. No matter how high your electric bill gets. It's the same as the Crest of Hope."

"The light in your heart?" Kari asked.

"After the Dark Masters were defeated, those bearing the Crests of Light and Hope were the ones that broke my seal." Azulongmon said.

"Hey T.K.!" Kari smiled. "Those were our Crests!"

"When the dark Digivice was brought into the Digital World, the harmonious ones were only able to find three Digimon who had the ancient power of Armor Digivolving." Azulongmon explained. "However, the Digimon belonging to the DigiDestined with the Crests of Light and Hope also were capable of the same power. So, their Digivices took on new forms, allowing them to Armor Digivolve as well."

"Pegasusmon and Nefertimon!" T.K. realized.

"And it only seemed fair that Wizardmon would be given the same ability, although for some reason your Digivice did not take on a new form." Azulongmon added, looking to Rika.

"Who's complaining?" Rika shrugged. "My Digivice still has all the same abilities as the D3s."

"The three Crests, Light, Hope, and Darkness, are different from the others." Azulongmon said. "The Crest of Courage, the Crest of Love, and the Crest of Knowledge come from the power inside the DigiDestined's hearts. But the Crest of Light gives life to this world. The Crest of Darkness restricts the evil in the world to balance it with the Light and keep the world in balance. And the Crest of Hope continues to shine no matter how darkness tries to hide it. Once all the DigiDestined join their hearts together, the power was born and the light shone even brighter, giving the Digimon the ability to Digivolve. It is because of you, DigiDestined, that the Digital World still exists. But…even though BlackWarGreymon is gone, and my power will soon be restored, beware. For the threat is not over."

Everyone gasped in shock. "What're you saying?" Yolei asked albeit worriedly.

"The evil that tried to seal me away has not disappeared." Azulongmon warned.

"Are you talking about Arukenimon and Mummymon?" Cody asked.

"No." Azulongmon said. "They are merely pawns. There is an even greater hatred in existence."

"You mean someone else is controlling Arukenimon?" T.K. guessed.

"Then that's who was controlling me, too." Ken realized.

"And, it is the exact same one who controls Wizardmon to this day." Azulongmon revealed. "The one who tasked him to find Rika for evil needs and causes him suffering if he tries to reveal the name."

Everyone stared at Wizardmon, who only looked down. "We're sorry, Wizardmon." Salamon said. "If we knew it was such a dangerous guy we never would've pushed it."

"It's okay." Wizardmon sighed. "It's just something I have to live with."

"Your job is not finished." Azulongmon said. "You must not stop until the Digital World is safe once and for all." He turned and began to fly off, disappearing into the clouds.

"We'll keep one eye on the DigiWorld and one eye on our world!" Davis promised. "And we'll keep the other eye on each other."

"Hmm. You must be Davis." Azulongmon said as he disappeared. "Well, despite him, I wish you all good luck in your quest!"

The kids waved, bidding the divine Digimon farewell and smiling in relief.

* * *

><p>"Thanks to you I am able to return to my restaurant!" Digitamamon said happily.<p>

"How about some treats?" Tapirmon offered, bringing out a large tray stacked high with dumplings.

"I know they're not much, but take them please!" Digitamamon offered.

"All right! Free food!" the DigiDestined cheered as they dug in.

"What's the matter with you, Davis?" Yolei growled. "Didn't you see me? I was reaching for that one!"

"They're all the same, aren't they?" Davis growled back as they grappled for the dumpling.

"Here Ken." T.K. offered the raven-haired boy one of the steaming buns. "They're really good. Aren't you going to try one?"

Ken, though not completely used to their kindness, still accepted the dumpling. "Okay, I'll try one." He split the dumpling in half and fed one half to Leafmon, smiling as the small green Digimon gobbled it down.

"These really are awesome." Rika said. "Digitamamon, you rock!"

Digitamamon blushed. "Aw gee, thanks!"

"You're awfully happy." Kari noted.

"Of course I am!" Rika said happily. "I finally found who I was meant to be. For years I wondered what my Crest meant, and now I finally know. It's such a great feeling of satisfaction."

"And now she'll stop asking me every ten seconds." Wizardmon joked, munching on his own dumpling.

Rika rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Don't make me tighten that thread." She smiled broadly again. "Plus, I get a second Digimon partner!"

"Now _that _I'm excited about." Wizardmon admitted. "I wonder what kind of Digimon it will be."

"I hope we see him or her soon." Salamon said. "I can't wait!"

"Meanwhile, we have a nice show to watch." Wizardmon gestured to the still-quarrelling Yolei and Davis.

"I said that one's mine!" Yolei growled as the two of them fought over the food as though it were precious jewels.

* * *

><p>As the DigiDestined walked to their homes that evening, they all felt full and happy. After such a vicious few weeks of battling, they felt so relieved to get a break for a while.<p>

"Those Chinese buns were great!" Davis sighed in content.

"You had one more than me!" Yolei complained.

"Well I didn't know you were counting!"

"Let me tell you something: when it comes to food, I always count."

Davis huffed, turning away from her. Then, something caught his eye in the distance: a tall, black obelisk. In seconds, it disappeared.

"What are you looking at?" Yolei asked, staring in the direction Davis did.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure but I think I just saw a Control Spire." Davis said.

"A Control Spire?" Rika repeated. Everyone looked but saw nothing.

"You should try wearing those goggles once in a while." Yolei scoffed. "Control Spire? Yeah, right."

Davis stared off where he saw the Control spire. _I don't care what Yolei says. I know what I saw._

Wizardmon heard the boy's thoughts, and he looked off into the distance. _Control Spires can't come into the Real World. They'd need to come through a portal. Even if Arukenimon and Mummymon found one in Kyoto, how on earth would they bring it Tokyo? _He jumped a little when Rika suddenly took his hand in hers, but he mirrored her smile under his bandana. _What am I worried about? I guess I'm still hyped up over everything that's happened. There are no Control Spires in the Real World._


	34. The Search Begins

**The Search Begins**

"Great breakfast, Rika." Kari complimented.

"Yeah, super yummy!" Tai added, shoveling a fourth pancake into his mouth.

"Where did you learn to cook so well?" Mrs. Kamiya asked.

"My mom taught a cooking class." Rika replied, bringing over a plate stacked high with more pancakes. "She used to make pancakes like this all the time. But she wouldn't tell me how she made them until I asked for the secret as a birthday gift."

"They're really great!" Mr. Kamiya said happily. "You think we could take some to Tai and Kari's grandmother? We're going to visit her for a couple days."

"What'd she do this time?" Tai asked.

"Went rollerblading with her friends and hit a bump in the sidewalk." Mr. Kamiya said. "Luckily she wore protective gear and landed in some semi-soft grass. We're just going down to help her out a little."

"Your grandmother sounds like a very….eccentric woman." Wizardmon noted to Tai.

"You have no idea." Tai chuckled.

"Are you sure you don't go to Tai's school, Ukito?" Mr. Kamiya asked.

"Home-schooled." Ukito assured, secretly feeding Gatomon some of his pancakes under the table.

Mr. Kamiya shook his head. "It's going to bug me forever. I swear I've seen you somewhere before."

"You can worry about it later." Mrs. Kamiya said. "I'm going to wrap up a few of these pancakes while you get the bags. We must get going." The kids and disguised Digimon waved goodbye as the two adults departed out the door.

"Mom once took classes from your mom, Rika." Tai said. "Although I'm not sure how well they went."

"Mm-hmm….." Rika nodded aimlessly, pushing her food back and forth across her plate.

Gatomon cocked her head in confusion as she leaped up onto the table. "Are you okay, Rika? You've been restless all morning."

"You even said so that you made these because you needed something to do." Kari said. "Something wrong?"

"Been too long since your last battle?" Tai teased.

Rika rolled her eyes. "It's just….I've been thinking about what Azulongmon said. How I'm supposed to have a second Digimon partner and all that."

"I'm sure we'll find him or her soon." Kari assured.

"That's just it." Rika said. "I've decided that we're not making any progress by just sitting around and waiting. I figured why wait for my second Digimon when I can go out and find him or her?"

"So what are you planning to do?" Tai asked. "Search the entire Digital World?"

"Pretty much." Wizardmon nodded. "Rika's Crest is supposed to lead us to her second Digimon, so we'll use that to help us locate the second partner. I've even learned how to make copies of her Crest so we can split up and cover more ground."

"Like Myotismon did?" Gatomon commented bitterly.

Wizardmon sighed. "Yes, Gatomon. Like he did when we searched for Kari four years ago. Except this time we're searching for someone to join us rather than searching for someone to destroy them."

"You say you can make copies of the Crest?" Tai said.

"Yes, and Rika will always have the original." Wizardmon said. "The Copies aren't perfect, but they'll do the job right." He pulled out one of the copies from his pocket for them to see. Although perfectly matching in looks, the colors looked considerably dulled compared to the original.

"Well then make some more." Tai said. "The DigiDestined are going to join you!"

"I really don't want to bother the others with this." Rika said. "They need a break."

"I mean the original eight of us." Tai said. "Mimi wants to spend the weekend camping in the DigiWorld with Palmon and wanted all of us to meet up. So we'll meet up and help you guys find your second partner. And don't think it'll be a bother; it'll be fun!"

Rika smiled. "Okay! Thanks guys!"

"I'll email the guys, Mimi, and Sora!" Tai offered.

"I'll wash the dishes." Rika said.

"I'll pack some of these pancakes for the road." Kari said.

"And Wizardmon and I will get started on making those copies." Gatomon said.

"How are you going to help?" Wizardmon asked. "You don't know magic."

"But I can keep count." Gatomon laughed.

* * *

><p>"Hey Mimi!" Rika waved. "Long time, no see!"<p>

"Hey guys!" Mimi called as she and Palmon came up. "So I hear we're going on a searching expedition?"

"Well we all know how Rika's going to be receiving a second Digimon partner." Izzy said. "We're going to help her find it."

"It's going to be a lot like when we searched for the Eighth Child in Odaiba." Joe said. "Except this time, we have a lot more ground to cover and we don't have to worry about some other evil guy looking for the second partner."

"Is that what we're calling him or her?" Rika joked. "The Second Partner?"

"Well, why not?" Tentomon shrugged. Rika thought for a moment and then shrugged as well.

"Luckily for us, Wizardmon was able to make copies of the Crest of Darkness so that we'll know the Second Partner when he or she shows up." Sora said. "Plus, we have the advantage of using computers and TVs in the DigiWorld to travel anywhere we want in a flash."

"Then let's each take a Crest copy and take a region to search." Matt suggested. "We'll go in pairs with our Digimon partners and meet up again later."

"When?" T.K. asked.

"When we find the Second Partner." Tai decided. "Or when sunset comes. Whichever comes first?"

The others nodded in agreement and each took a Crest copy from Wizardmon. Izzy opened up his laptop and pulled up a map of the Digital World. Each DigiDestined took a region and then teleported away. The human and Digimon pairs walked through every town and village, talked to friendly Digimon, and sometimes just walked through their areas while holding their Crest copies out, waiting for a reaction. Numerous Digimon came to the DigiDestined, hoping the Crest would react to them. But every time, they would walk away disappointed. Oftentimes, the DigiDestined in the area would go through their search twice to make sure they didn't miss anything or anyone. Izzy, Joe, Sora, and their Digimon, who patrolled some of the larger cities, publically announced the reason for their arrival to make sure they talked to every Digimon there. But still, nothing happened. It was well into the evening when the DigiDestined actually made contact with each other in a group call on their cell phones.

"Any luck?" Rika asked. A round of negative responses came, and she sighed. "Well I'm not getting anything either, and we've searched every inch of our areas. Should we keep searching or what?"

"I was thinking about something." Tai said. "This Digimon probably has to be either a complete opposite to Wizardmon or someone that connects with him really easily, right?"

"The latter makes more sense, but yes." Izzy agreed.

"So what?" Joe asked. "We repeat our search and see who matches Wizardmon best?"

"That's just it." Tai said. "I noticed that we haven't hit a town called Witchenly, and I've heard it's a town full of Majin and magical type Digimon like Wizardmon."

"It's the one place where you'll find the most Majin Digimon." Rika confirmed.

"Well, then maybe the Second Partner is a Majin like Wizardmon." Tai said. "Maybe we'll have better luck there."

"Then let's meet in Witchenly." Kari suggested. "You're right, Tai. Maybe we _will_ have more luck."

* * *

><p>"Guardian! Guardian!"<p>

FlameWizardmon opened his eyes, having recently been asleep, and looked over to the Bakemon that approached him. "Yeah, what is it?"

"We have strange creatures approaching the village!" the Bakemon said hurriedly. "Humans!"

FlameWizardmon's eyes widened. "The DigiDestined!" He jumped down from the building and landed softly on the ground, darting through the streets to the gate of the town. He smiled broadly as the DigiDestined came to the gate, but his gaze focused on two in particular. "Rika! Wizardmon! It's been a while!"

"Hey FlameWizardmon!" Rika greeted, hugging the fire mage.

"FlameWizardmon, these are the original eight DigiDestined." Wizardmon introduced. "They destroyed the Dark Masters and Devimon."

"Wow." FlameWizardmon bowed. "It's an honor to meet you all. Come on in; let's have something to eat."

"Actually, we have something important to do." Rika said as they followed FlameWizardmon into Witchenly. "We're searching for a Digimon that will be my second Digimon partner and DNA Digivolve with Wizardmon. We've been searching the whole Digital World all day but haven't found anything."

"Well that's frustrating." FlameWizardmon admitted. "You think _I _could be the one?"

Sora, the closest one to FlameWizardmon, held up her Crest copy. "I'm not getting a reaction."

FlameWizardmon took the Crest copy in his hand. "This is a copy, isn't it?"

"How'd you guess?" Gomamon asked.

"It's easy to tell." FlameWizardmon said. "No way would it be this dull in color if it were real. Besides, its power is draining fast. Pretty soon it'll turn silver and it'll be nothing more than a useless trinket." As if on cue, all the Crest copies the kids held turned a pretty silver color.

"Here, this one's the real one." Rika held up her Crest and FlameWizardmon took it in his hand. Unfortunately, it gave no reaction.

"Darn." FlameWizardmon sighed, handing the Crest back to Rika.

"We were thinking since Wizardmon is a Majin then the Second Partner would be one too." Tai said.

"Good thought." FlameWizardmon nodded. "Okay then; let's ask around and we'll see what we find."

FlameWizardmon led the way, giving them a tour of the entire town while Rika held her Crest up and waited for a reaction. They passed by every house, store, and market vendor, talked to dozens of Majin, until finally a few hours passed and they were forced to stop from sheer exhaustion.

"Does anybody remember when we last ate?" Mimi sighed.

"I think we already devoured those pancakes." Kari said. "But I skipped lunch."

"Me too." Sora added.

"I think we all did." Matt said. "We were so focused on finding that Second Partner we didn't think to eat."

"Then how about a break?" FlameWizardmon asked. "There are a lot of good places to eat around here."

"Hey there!"

They all jumped with surprised shouts, a couple of them hugging each other in fear, when an ogre-like monkey thing suddenly popped up in front of them.

"Shamanmon?!" FlameWizardmon growled. "How many times have I told you not to do that?"

"Sorry!" Shamanmon laughed. "I didn't know how else to get your attention!"

"Shamanmon?" Tai asked.

"He's technically an Ogre Digimon," Rika explained. "But he's also classified as a Majin for his ability to see into the future with his magical club and a special dance."

"So!" Shamanmon said enthusiastically. "You guys need food and answers, hmm?"

"We don't have much money." Biyomon said. "But we'd be happy to pay you back somehow."

"No, not at all!" Shamanmon waved it off. "You guys DigiDestined! I give you food and a peer into your future for free!"

"Wow, really?" T.K. smiled. "Thanks."

"But of course!" Shamanmon pointed to Rika, Kari, T.K., and their Digimon. "These guys save ghosts so they may be reborn! It be my pleasure! Come in!" He darted into a nearby house, giggling like a madman.

"Can we trust him?" Agumon asked. "And his food?"

"Despite what most would believe, Shamanmon is actually a very kindred spirit." FlameWizardmon assured. "He's just a little…..looney."

The DigiDestined exchanged looks, but when Shamanmon urged them to come inside they willingly obeyed. Luckily for them, Shamanmon served them a wonderfully made soup full of vegetables from his own garden. They ate and talked and laughed, temporarily forgetting about their mission to find the Second Partner.

Wizardmon glanced over at Rika beside him, noticing that she wouldn't eat. "Rika, don't worry. We'll find your second Digimon, I know it."

"I don't doubt that." Rika assured. "It's just that I feel like we forgot something. That we passed over something too quickly." She stared into her soup for a moment before quickly drinking some, ending her conversation with her Digimon.

After lunch, Shamanmon moved them all to the second floor of his home to his "Future Seeking Room" and instructed them to sit down while he worked. They watched, mesmerized and a little confused, as Shamanmon began chanting in a strange language and hopping around, performing very strange dance movements. He whacked Rika and Wizardmon on the head with his club, not hard enough to cause damage but certainly enough to irritate them. Finally, Shamanmon began to speak.

"The Digimon you seek, a Majin he be. Different from the others, but a friend you'll see. The light to your dark is now cloaked in black. Keep your heart open, you will get him back. Find the Majin with powers of snow. Then, and only then, very far you shall go." He stopped dancing, staring at the DigiDestined. "That's it."

"That's it?" Rika repeated. "You know, riddles don't necessarily help."

"Just remember the riddle, kids." Shamanmon assured. "And everything will be fine."

"But where do we look for this Majin?" Matt asked.

Shamanmon closed his eyes, swinging his club around. For a moment, the kids feared he'd hit someone again. Instead, Shamanmon said, "Right about now, he should be in the north. Search those snowy lands and you will find him."

"But we already searched the northern region and didn't find anything." Rika said. "Right guys?"

"I think so." Joe said. "Who took the northern region?" Everyone exchanged looks, and soon it became clear that _nobody _took that region to search.

"How is it there was eighteen of us and nobody took the northern region?" Rika asked.

"Well, we're not necessarily dressed for it." Mimi noted, looking around at everyone's long-sleeved yet light clothing.

"No worries, kids!" Shamanmon assured. "Go to Babamon. She made good clothes for your journey!"

"How did you know we'd be going up there already?" Tai asked. Shamanmon whacked him on the head with his club, causing him to yelp.

"I'm Shamanmon!" Shamanmon laughed. "I see future! Now off with you!" The DigiDestined and the Digimon yelped as Shamanmon suddenly pushed them all out of his house and slammed the door shut behind them.

"And you say he's kindred." Wizardmon groaned, casting an irritated glare towards FlameWizardmon.

* * *

><p>Babamon, a Digimon that looked like a short, elderly woman with a sewn mouth, did indeed have warm clothes already made for the DigiDestined: coats, pants, scarfs, gloves, and hats that were color coded for each child. She even made coats and scarfs for their Digimon. She also forcibly inspected the thread over Wizardmon's and FlameWizardmon's mouths to make sure they were intact, and then insisted that FlameWizardmon accompany them, to which he happily agreed. The DigiDestined thanked Babamon, wishing they could repay her, but she simply shooed them out of her house and they began their journey to the northern region. With the help of Birdramon, Kabuterimon, Nefertimon, Pegasusmon, and Dynasmon, the travel time became much shorter.<p>

Unbeknownst to them, as they flew over the northern region somebody watched them. Sorcermon stared up at the large Digimon above him, focusing on Nefertimon specifically. He pulled out a cell phone from his pocket, wracking his brain to remember how to use it. When he finally managed to get it right, he held it to his ear and waited for an answer.

"_Sorcermon what is it?" _Arukenimon's disdainful voice came from the other end.

"Mistress, didn't you say something about a 'troublesome feline' that kept attacking you and Master Mummymon?" Sorcermon asked. "Was it a Nefertimon?"

"_Have you found the DigiDestined?" _Arukenimon asked incredulously. _"What are they doing in the Digital World still?"_

"Last I checked, destroying your Control Spires, Mistress." Sorcermon answered innocently.

"_Don't take that tone with me!"_

"Sorry, Mistress."

"_Sorcermon, attack and destroy them! Kill them! Mummymon and I will find you tomorrow to see if you've done what I asked. If you fail, it'll be very unfortunate for you."_

Sorcermon gulped a little, feeling his back begin to sting from old wounds. "I understand, Mistress." He winced a little when she forcibly hung up, and he sighed as he put the phone away. _I won't fail my mistress again. I will find those DigiDestined and destroy them. Maybe then I will finally make my mistress happy._

* * *

><p>"Babamon was really nice to make these clothes for us." Mimi called over the wind. "I hardly notice the cold!"<p>

"Yeah, now we gotta find that second Digimon!" Joe called. "Usually only Mojyamon live up here."

"At least they're friendly." Rika shrugged. "I don't think we're in very much danger."

"Watch out!" Nefertimon yelped, and not a second later a barrage of what looked like ice shards shot towards them. The flying Digimon scattered, their riders holding on tightly.

"What was that?" Kari called.

"I don't know, but we need to get to cover!" T.K. urged. Suddenly, another round of the shards flew up. Nefertimon jerked herself to position herself between the shards and Kari and Mimi, who rode on her back. She shouted in pain as the shards collided with her body, and she suddenly began falling towards the rocks.

"Mimi!" Palmon shouted from Birdramon's back.

"Kari!" Tai shouted from the same spot.

"Gatomon!" Dynasmon shouted.

Nefertimon managed to spread her wings to glide down towards the ground, slowing their descent so they only tumbled a little when they hit the ground. Nefertimon dedigivolved to Gatomon, moaning in pain. "Kari? Mimi? Are you okay?"

Kari and Mimi groaned as they sat up. "Yeah, we're okay." Kari shakily sat up.

"Well that was a nasty fall." Mimi put a hand to her head. "But I suppose it could've been worse."

A loud roar made them jump, and they whipped around to see a Digimon that looked like a light blue Ogremon, but a lot meaner.

"Who's that?" Kari gasped.

"That's Hyogamon!" Gatomon gasped. "He's like an icier, meaner version of Ogremon!"

"Oh no!" Mimi screamed in terror. "Where are the others?"

Suddenly, Hyogamon leaped towards them, raising his icy club and preparing to strike the girls. Gatomon quickly stood up to defend the girls, but Hyogamon hardly got within striking distance before a white shape shot out of nowhere and rammed into him, sending the ice ogre flying to one side. The girls gasped in surprise as a white-clothed Digimon dropped down in front of them, holding his staff ready to fight. He turned and stared at the girls with his icy blue eyes.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're okay." Kari nodded. Hyogamon roared again, charging towards them. The white-clothed Digimon lunged forward and met the ogre head-on, throwing more attacks.

"Hey, I saw that guy in Witchmon Manor!" Gatomon said. "He was hiding in a closet but then ran off when I found him."

"He's so cute!" Mimi gushed. "He looks better than all the other boys at my school!"

The new Digimon grunted as Hyogamon smacked him aside and then advanced towards the girls again. But the new Digimon came forward again, putting himself in front of the girls. "Leave them alone!"

"Or what?" Hyogamon growled.

"Or you answer to me." The new Digimon growled, twirling his snowflake-topped staff. "You want them, you'll have to go through me." In response, Hyogamon suddenly swung his club around and it slammed into the new Digimon, smashing him against a rock. The white-clothed Digimon slumped to the ground, groaning in pain. The girls turned back to Hyogamon, who advanced towards them, when suddenly a pair of large talons snatched the ogre up and hauled him into the air. The girls looked up to see Birdramon as the large firebird suddenly threw Hyogamon into the trees and away from them. The DigiDestined landed quickly, their Digimon dedigivolving as they hurried to Mimi, Kari, and Gatomon.

"Are you guys okay?" Tai asked worriedly.

"We're fine." Mimi assured. "Thanks to that Digimon over there." She pointed to said Digimon, still lying on the ground.

Wizardmon approached the white-clothed Digimon as it began to rise. The creature groaned painfully, sitting back on his ankles. Everyone blinked in surprise when they saw the entirety of the new Digimon: he looked identical to Wizardmon, only differently colored.

"Wow." Gabumon breathed. "Talk about twins."

"You okay?" Wizardmon asked.

The white-clothed Digimon groaned again, a hand on his chest. "My ribs are pretty much shattered, but I'm okay."

"Don't move too much." FlameWizardmon warned. "We'll need a doctor, but we're too far away from Witchenly."

"No need." The white-clothed Digimon pulled off one of his gloves and unzipped some of his jumper just enough to press his bare hand to his broken ribs. He murmured under his breath, and his hand became enveloped in a white glow. Everyone winced a little at the sound of cracking and popping bones snapping back into place, but when the Digimon finished he sighed heavily in relief. He hurriedly zipped his jumper back up, but not before Wizardmon noticed jagged red lines on his chest.

"Who are you?" Matt asked the white-clothed Digimon.

"Sorcermon." The Digimon tipped his hat in greeting.

"Well Sorcermon, we owe you one." Gatomon said. "You really saved us."

"Yeah, thanks." Kari added.

Sorcermon grinned a little under his cowl. "What are you all doing up here in the north, anyway?"

"We're searching for a Digimon." Rika said.

"Really?" Sorcermon mused. "Who?"

"We don't know." Rika admitted. "But we're supposed to find him up here."

"Uh, not that we don't love talking about this, but could we find someplace to rest?" Joe piped up. "It's getting colder by the minute."

"But what about the Second Partner?" Rika asked.

"You know, there's a small forest just over that ridge." Sorcermon pointed up the cliff side. "You should be able to find a place to stay that's out of the snow."

"Even better, we'll be able to make a fire." FlameWizardmon said.

"We are not burning those trees." Wizardmon droned.

"Come on, I'll show you the way." Sorcermon offered. "And perhaps we'll run into your second Digimon on the way."

"Gee, thanks." Gomamon said as the DigiDestined followed the white Majin. "That's awfully nice of you."

"It can get pretty harsh up here." Sorcermon said. "It'd be best if you were somewhere safe anyway."

"So why are _you _up here?" Kari asked.

"I am searching for the DigiDestined." Sorcermon replied. "I have been tasked by my mistress to find and destroy them."

The kids and their Digimon froze briefly, but Sorcermon didn't notice. "Um….." Tai cleared his throat a little nervously. "Why does she want you to destroy them?"

"I guess because they bother her." Sorcermon shrugged. "These DigiDestined, whoever they are, keep causing her a lot of trouble. So she ordered me to find the DigiDestined and destroy them. The only problem is I don't know who they are. My mistress tells me they're human children with Digimon partners, but I've never seen a human in my life!" He sighed, sounding a little sad this time. "But I won't give up….I can't…."

Matt leaned in to Tai, whispering so Sorcermon wouldn't hear. "We should leave now before he finds out who we are."

"No." Rika hissed. "He doesn't even know what a human is, so he won't know it's us. Besides, I think he's my second Digimon."

"What?" Tai whispered. "Why?"

"Remember Shamanmon's riddle?" Rika said. "'Find the Majin with powers of snow.' That has to be Sorcermon."

"How can we know for sure?" Matt asked.

"My Crest will tell me." Rika said. "Until we know for sure, we just go along with it."

* * *

><p>"So why did you decide to save us?" Kari asked. In the time it took to climb the hill, the group still had several yards to go before reaching the top. They also managed to introduce themselves to Sorcermon and talk about themselves. They left out the part about being the DigiDestined or being humans overall, but they did mention how old they were. Few of them could hide their surprise when Sorcermon informed them of the name of his mistress: Arukenimon. But even when they prepared for the ice wizard to attack, he never did.<p>

"I'm not sure, actually." Sorcermon replied, pulling her up to keep her steady. "You were in trouble, so I came to help you. Besides, I like to consider myself a gentle-mon, and what kind of gentle-mon would let three very attractive girls get harmed?"

Mimi, Kari, and even Gatomon blushed. "Aw, thanks!" Mimi gushed. "You're pretty cute yourself!"

Sorcermon rubbed the back of his head, chuckling a little nervously. "At first I thought that Nefertimon I saw earlier was attacking you. I am very happy to know it wasn't."

"So you saw one of the DigiDestined's Digimon?" Sora asked slowly.

"Yes, flying with some other Digimon that seemed to disappear along with her." Sorcermon nodded. "Not a human in sight though."

"Maybe they were riding the Digimon." Tai shrugged, only to earn a smack upside the head from Matt.

Sorcermon stared at Tai, then laughed. "Humans riding Digimon? Now _that _sounds ridiculous." He chuckled warmly, then cleared his throat and looked away. "Sorry. I don't really laugh much."

"It's okay." Biyomon assured, smiling. "You have a nice laugh." Sorcermon didn't answer, continuing to climb up the steep incline with the others following.

"This guy's none too bright, is he?" Gabumon whispered. "Maybe we don't have to worry at all."

"It's not that he's stupid or anything." FlameWizardmon protested. "He's just….innocent. Arukenimon probably didn't really teach him anything so he's forced to find out on his own. Unfortunately, he hasn't found much."

"We're here!" Sorcermon announced several minutes later. The others joined him at the top of the ridge, but realized with a bit of a start that another somewhat sharp decline on the other side. At the bottom rested the small forest Sorcermon spoke of.

"Great, we're here." Izzy said. "Now how do we get down there? The slope's too slippery from all the snow; we'll break our necks if we try to climb down."

"Then we'll sled down." Rika shrugged.

"Sledding?" Joe asked incredulously. "Right now? Have you all forgotten we're in a snowy area that might just be worse than Alaska's tundra? We could get hypothermia or a snowstorm could hit. Plus, we haven't run into the Second Partner yet."

"Don't be so uptight." Tai laughed. "We could use a little fun."

"I'm not being uptight!" Joe snapped.

"Joe has good reason to be a little concerned." Kari said. "But I think we all deserve some fun time. We don't have to climb back up when we get down. Once we get to the bottom we'll make camp."

Sorcermon slowly raised his hand, as though a student in a classroom. "Um, I'm sorry to interrupt. But what is this 'sledding' activity you seem to be so fond of?"

"You've never heard of sledding?" Palmon asked, surprised. "But you live surrounded by all this snow! I mean, what do you do for fun?"

Sorcermon blinked. "I am not sure I know what 'fun' is. Is that also a popular activity where you come from?"

Everyone stared at the ice wizard, who stared back innocently. "Wow. You are _really _weird." Matt said.

"_Matt!" _Everyone else snapped in irritation.

"Come on, man!" FlameWizardmon groaned.

"Sledding is _very _popular where we're from." Kari explained kindly to Sorcermon. "It's where you sit on things like a disk or in a toboggan and you ride it down hills like this. Only crazy people would frequent one so steep like this."

"Eh, it's not that bad." T.K. shrugged. "Fifty degree angle, give or take."

"Interesting." Sorcermon mused. "And it sounds a bit thrilling."

"It's really fun." Patamon agreed. "But what do we ride on?"

"I could become Ikkakumon and—" Gomamon groaned a little when Joe slapped a hand over his mouth.

"We don't want to give this guy hints about who we are." Joe hissed to his Digimon. "And that includes your ability to Digivolve on a whim."

Thankfully, Sorcermon didn't seem to be paying attention. He stared at the snowy ground. "You say you ride in a disk?"

"Yeah." Kari nodded.

Sorcermon rested his staff on the ground, the metal rod leaning into the crook of his elbow. He held out his hands, closing his eyes. When they opened, they glowed white for a moment and he began to swirl his hands around. Some of the snow shifted and solidified until a round sledding disk materialized at his feet. Everyone else stared in awe.

"That's so cool!" T.K. smiled broadly. "How did you do that?"

Sorcermon shrugged. "Ice wizard. It's just something I do, I suppose."

"Can you make more of those?" Mimi asked excitedly. "We'll be down there in no time!" Sorcermon, seeming very pleased by Mimi's happiness, began creating more icy sleds out of the snow. The DigiDestined decided they would ride one at a time, but all stop at the bottom so they could regroup and find a place to make camp. The disks each only held two at a time, so the kids paired up with their respective Digimon partners and began their rides down the hill.

"Come on, bro!" FlameWizardmon grabbed Wizardmon's hand and yanked him onto a sled with him. "Let's go!"

"Uh, I'm not so sure—" Wizardmon's protests were cut off by FlameWizardmon pushing them over the edge, and he began shouting in a little terror while his pyromaniac brother just whooped and laughed.

"We're the last ones." Rika told Sorcermon. "Come on, come ride with me."

Sorcermon looked over the edge at the rest of the group waiting for them. "Um….I don't know about this. I really should get back to my search for the DigiDestined."

"Come on, you can hold off a little longer." Rika assured. "Let's go!"

Sorcermon looked nervous, maybe even fearful. "If my mistress finds I failed, it will be very unpleasant for me."

Rika stared, a little surprised by his response. _What has Arukenimon done to him? Why is he so afraid of her? _She put on a warm smile and held out a hand. "Please ride with me, Sorcermon." She invited. "Hang out with us a little longer?"

Sorcermon's icy blue eyes locked with Rika's dark lavender ones. Somehow, they seemed to draw him in and make him feel something warm in his chest. He didn't like it at first; he never felt something like this before. But Rika kept flashing that warm, comforting smile, and he found it very hard to refuse her wishes. So, shakily, he sat down into the sled. Rika climbed on behind him, but he tensed a little when he felt her arms wrap around his stomach. Despite this, he swallowed back his fear and used his staff to push them forward. They teetered on the edge for a moment before gravity pulled them forward. In seconds they picked up a lot of speed.

"Is it just me or are we going _very _fast?" Sorcermon called over the wind.

"We are speeding a little!" Rika agreed. "But as long as we slow down a bit before we hit the bottom, we should be good!"

"But how do we slow down?" Sorcermon asked.

"Gently dig your heels into the ground and we'll slow to a stop!" Rika called back.

Sorcermon, hearing the shouts of the others getting louder, moved his legs to push his heels into the snow in front of him. But then, he noticed the top of a large rock in their path, and on instinct he created an ice jump to go over it. The two of them shot up into the air, crashing on the ground and almost crushing Gomamon and Tentomon before speeding off into the forest. Rika's grip tightened around Sorcermon, but he hardly paid any attention as he created more ice jumps and quarter-pipes to steer them away from trees and rocks that they might've smashed into. Then, the sled hit a rock hidden by the snow and shattered on impact, sending its riders flying. Rika screamed a little, but Sorcermon simply turned and threw another magical blast, creating a large pile of snow that the two of them landed in with a _POOF! _Sorcermon sat up, brushing the snow off his hat.

"Rika?" Sorcermon called. "You all right?"

Rika suddenly sat up straight beside him, punching the air and laughing. "That was awesome!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Sorcermon stumbled a little in the snow pile as he kneeled down and bowed to Rika. "I just saw that rock and did what I thought was right but I only got us into more trouble and we could've gotten killed and I'm so sorry that I'm such an idiot and I—"

Rika put a hand against his cowl, covering his mouth and causing him to stop talking. She lowered her hand and smiled. "You know, when I say something is 'awesome', it means something good."

"Really?" Sorcermon asked.

"Yeah!" Rika assured with a smile. "_That _is how you have fun! You do something dangerous and a little life-threatening, but then you laugh about it later!" She laughed happily, holding her sides.

Sorcermon stared at her for a moment before he began laughing as well. Then, he winced in pain and held his stomach. "Are you sure laughing is very healthy? It makes my sides hurt."

"Laughing is _very _healthy." Rika assured. "Your sides hurt because you're laughing so hard, but that's okay. You really don't laugh that often?"

"Almost never." Sorcermon shook his head. "But I must say, it's a nice sensation. I've never met someone like you, Rika. It's strange, but I feel something odd about myself when I'm around you." He looked down. "Is that weird to think?"

"Not at all!" Rika waved it off. "Sure, we met, like, a little over half an hour ago, but it's been great traveling with you and teaching you about sledding and laughing."

His cowl hid Sorcermon's smile, but his eyes shone brightly. "I like you, Rika. You are a very unique child."

Rika mirrored his smile. "I like you too, Sorcermon. You think we could be friends?"

Sorcermon nodded. "I would like to be friends with you and your friends."

Rika blinked as a strange light shone under her chin, and she reached into her collar to pull out her tag and Crest. She and Sorcermon stared at the glowing black Crest.

"No way….." Rika breathed. _I was right._

"That's a very interesting necklace." Sorcermon said. "It must make a great nightlight."

Rika still stared at the Crest. "Yeah…..it does…."

The two of them turned when the others began to call for them, and Sorcermon waved them over to where they stood. Although Rika could hear everyone asking if she was all right, she could only nod silently as she tucked her still-glowing Crest under her collar.


	35. My Twin, My Guardian

**My Twin, My Guardian**

"Are you absolutely sure?" Sora asked, looking around to make sure Sorcermon, Agumon, Tai, and Matt hadn't returned from gathering more firewood.

"Positive." Rika showed them all her still-glowing Crest. "See? It hasn't stopped."

"I think Rika's right." Gatomon agreed, staring at the flames they sat around. "Remember Shamanmon's riddle? 'The Digimon you seek, a Majin he be.' Sorcermon's clearly a Majin Digimon. 'Different from the others, but a friend you'll see.' He may be a creation of Arukenimon, but he still wants to be our friend. 'The light to your dark is now cloaked in black. Keep your heart open, you will get him back. Find the Majin with powers of snow. Then, and only then, very far you shall go.' It's clear what we have to do: we have to somehow release him from Arukenimon's control."

"Great, now how to do that." Mimi said. "I just can't stand the thought of that horrible woman controlling someone so sweet."

"First, he needs to know who we are." Izzy said. "And then we can tell him how he's destined to be a part of our group."

"Or we could do it vice versa." Tentomon said. "Tell him his destiny and then tell him who we are."

"How we do it is one thing." Rika said. "Who's going to be the one to tell him? I mean, who knows how he'll react?"

"I'll tell him." FlameWizardmon announced.

Everyone else stared worriedly. "Are you sure, FlameWizardmon?" Patamon asked.

"I'm positive." FlameWizardmon assured.

"Maybe I should do it." Wizardmon offered. "If Sorcermon is really going to be Rika's partner, then he's going to be mine too. If things get difficult, I can hold my own against him."

"Here's the thing about ice: it melts." FlameWizardmon created a fireball in his palm to emphasize his point. "I think, out of all of us, my powers are more of a match against his. I'll be gentle and all that, and if he attacks I can fight back easily."

Wizardmon still looked concerned, but nodded. "If you say so."

"If you need help, just call." Gatomon said. "We'll be over there faster than you can say 'catnip.'"

Wizardmon smiled and rubbed her head affectionately. "Thank you, my friend."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine." FlameWizardmon assured.

"We're back!" Matt announced as they returned.

"And Sorcermon helped us find some really good mountain berries that actually thrive in the snow!" Tai added. "We gathered a whole bunch for our breakfast tomorrow!"

FlameWizardmon stood as the returners set their wood and food down. "Sorcermon? I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" Sorcermon asked, brushing the snow off his gloves.

"It's something very important." FlameWizardmon said. "Come on; let's go for a walk."

Sorcermon shrugged and hurriedly followed his fiery counterpart. The two of them journeyed through the forest, farther and farther until they reached a large clearing and could only see the light of the fire through the trees. Still, they continued on until the firelight became so small it looked like a star from so far away. FlameWizardmon paused, staring off into the distance. Sorcermon stuck his staff in the snow and moved to stand beside him, kicking at the snow and staring up at the starry skies.

"Sorcermon." FlameWizardmon finally said. "Have I earned your trust?"

"I think so." Sorcermon nodded. "I would say you have become quite a friend, even if we don't know each other that well. That is, if that doesn't cross a line or anything."

"No, no, that's good." FlameWizardmon said. "You have also earned _my _trust, and that of the others. So I know I can trust you with the information I'm about to give."

Sorcermon blinked in surprise. "What information?"

FlameWizardmon took a breath, his exhale coming out in a cloud. "I know where the DigiDestined are hiding."

Sorcermon seemed to perk up excitedly. "Really? You do? Well where are they?" FlameWizardmon pointed silently over to where the light of the campsite shown through the trees. Sorcermon followed his point and gave another quizzical look. "But that's…" His eyes widened. "Wait. You mean to tell me those kids are the DigiDestined?"

"The original 8. Rika, Kari, and T.K. are a part of a second generation of DigiDestined." FlameWizardmon explained. "That second generation of kids are the ones Arukenimon most likely referred to when she told you to destroy them."

"But…" Sorcermon breathed, staring off towards the DigiDestined. "They're...just children….."

"Nonetheless, they are the DigiDestined." FlameWizardmon assured. "They can prove it too; they have Digivices and everything."

Sorcermon stared at the snow-covered ground, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Why? Why did you tell me this?"

"Because we've been searching for Rika's second Digimon partner." FlameWizardmon said. "And we have reasons to believe that second Digimon is you. You earned our trust by saving Kari, Mimi, and Gatomon and you helped us find shelter and safety. When we discovered for a fact that you were Rika's second partner, we all knew it was wrong to lie to you about this."

"No…." Sorcermon shook his head. "No, no, you shouldn't have told me this!"

"Sorcermon you're destined to be a part of that group." FlameWizardmon said.

"No!" Sorcermon shouted suddenly. His eyes went wild, looking everywhere except for FlameWizardmon. He ran his fingers through his hair and muttered nervously. "You…you have to get out of here."

"Just calm down." FlameWizardmon soothed. "We're not going anywhere without you."

"You don't understand!" Sorcermon's fearful gaze locked with FlameWizardmon's calm yet confused one. "I have been instructed by my creator and mistress to destroy you! Sh-she told me to eliminate the DigiDestined and their Digimon partners." His fists clenched and shook. "You all have been so kind to me. I…..I don't…want to kill you."

"You don't have to do that if you don't want to." FlameWizardmon said simply. "You're a living creature, which means you have free will. Don't kill us if you don't want to."

"I _don't_ have a choice!" Sorcermon protested. "You must leave now! If my mistress comes—"

"Has she been watching us?" FlameWizardmon looked around for any sign of Arukenimon.

"No." Sorcermon shook his head. "She….sent me off alone…to find and destroy the DigiDestined. But she knows I found them and she's coming tomorrow to make sure I did the job." He continued to shake, as though the ice wizard were freezing. "Before…..when I was always tracking the DigiDestined…..every time she came….and I had to tell her I didn't find them….she didn't like it…..she'd hurt me…" He raised his head to stare at FlameWizardmon again, his icy blue eyes filled with fear. "You have _no idea_ what kind of pain she can cause. It's unbearable."

"Maybe not." FlameWizardmon shrugged. "But Wizardmon would know. He seems to experience a similar pain from someone he doesn't like very much."

Sorcermon took a step back, still shaking. "You have to leave. Take your friends and run away."

"Sorcermon, let us help you." FlameWizardmon pleaded. "We'll take care of Arukenimon and she'll never hurt you again."

"NO!" Sorcermon turned from FlameWizardmon, clutching his skull as though experiencing the pain he described. "I…..I don't want to hurt you…Rika trusts me….you all trust me….I wanted you all to be my friends…but it just won't work…"

FlameWizardmon smiled comfortingly. "You _are_ our friend. Friends help each other when one is hurt or in trouble. That's how it works. At least, that's what Wizardmon tells me." _Maybe he _should've _done this instead of me._

"You have to get out of here." Sorcermon pleaded. "Take Rika and run away. I cannot be responsible for your demise. I'll take whatever pain Arukenimon gives me if you just leave."

As the ice wizard Digimon spoke, FlameWizardmon noticed cracks appearing in the ground and snow. He stared intently at the cracks before his eyes widened slightly at the sound of water sloshing underneath the snow. _We're not standing on solid ground. _"Sorcermon. Don't move."

"You have to leave." Sorcermon raised an arm and his staff flew into his gloved hand. "Go. I'll make up some excuse for Arukenimon but you have to go."

The ice continued to crack, reacting to Sorcermon's turmoil-filled emotions. FlameWizardmon felt the ice beneath his feet shift. "Sorcermon, calm down."

"Not until you promise to leave." Sorcermon ordered, his tone full of hurt and harshness. "I will protect you how I can but you must go."

"Sorcermon—"

"I SAID GO!" Sorcermon slammed the end of his staff down onto the ground, a burst of magic springing forth and into the ice. The two Majin Digimon jumped with gasps as the ice shifted violently. Circles of cracks appeared, making the ice look like a spider web. Suddenly, the circle FlameWizardmon stood on shattered completely and the fire Majin slipped below the frigid waters. Sorcermon finally calmed down enough to activate his ice powers and refroze the lake, sealing the cracks and giving him better footing. He panted a little, his heart pounding from the adrenaline. He looked up and noticed FlameWizardmon nowhere in sight.

"FlameWizardmon?" Sorcermon called. "FlameWizardmon!" A faint pounding caught his attention, a sound very different from his heartbeat. He looked down and brushed the snow away, horrified to discover FlameWizardmon beneath several inches of ice. The fire mage Digimon pounded on the ice, unable to produce a fire ball to break it. "FlameWizardmon! Get out of the way!" FlameWizardmon pushed himself out of the way and Sorcermon pressed his hand to the ice. In a burst of white light the ice cracked and disappeared, leaving a circle of water just large enough for FlameWizardmon to get through. His arm shot out and his hand clawed at the ice, giving him enough traction to pull his head and chest up and out of the water. He gasped deeply, the lower half of his body still in the icy waters until Sorcermon could haul him out. FlameWizardmon's now-drenched clothes already began to freeze solid, even his hair. FlameWizardmon shivered violently, the only movement he could manage at the time. Sorcermon stared in shock. _What have I done? If I hadn't lost control the ice wouldn't have cracked. This is all my fault. How can I be destined to be a part of their team if I do things like this?_

FlameWizardmon could see the guilt in Sorcermon's eyes and tried to speak to comfort him. But only stutters and groans came out. Everything felt cold and he could feel the blackness of unconsciousness creeping up.

"Don't speak." Sorcermon ordered. He took FlameWizardmon's arm and draped it over his shoulders, hoisting the Majin to his feet. Or at least he tried to; FlameWizardmon couldn't really move his legs so Sorcermon had to hold drag the Majin off the ice.

Gatomon stared off into the trees. "Those two have been gone for far too long."

"We need to trust them." Rika said. "Sorcermon is supposed to be my second Digimon. I just know it."

"I hope you're right, Rika." T.K. said. "Sorcermon seems nice enough, but it all comes down to whether he chooses to betray Arukenimon or follow her orders."

"I just hope my brother doesn't do something stupid." Wizardmon said.

"I have a bad feeling." Patamon said. He suddenly gasped softly. "There's someone coming!"

"Maybe it's FlameWizardmon and Sorcermon." Tai shrugged.

Suddenly, the sound of someone barreling through the underbrush rang out, and then the kids heard someone panting and shouting. "Hey! Rika! Gatomon! DigiDestined! Where are you?"

"We're here!" Rika called. "Over here Sorcermon!"

"Wait!" Matt protested. "If FlameWizardmon told him we're the DigiDestined, he might attack us!"

"I don't think so." Sora said. "He sounds like he's panicking."

Sorcermon suddenly burst through the trees, still dragging FlameWizardmon with him. Everyone gasped and Kari ran over to help. She and Sorcermon gently laid FlameWizardmon on the ground, but the Majin could only shiver violently, groaning and gasping as though in pain. Wizardmon hurried to his brother's side, unsure what to do besides stare in concern.

"Joe please help!" Kari called.

Joe nodded and rushed to FlameWizardmon's side, looking him over. "Sorcermon, what happened?" T.K. asked worriedly.

"I-it was an accident." Sorcermon dropped his staff, leaning on a tree to steady himself. "I…..I didn't want…he told me you were the DigiDestined…I just wanted him to leave so you would be protected! But then I lost control….we were standing on a frozen lake and I broke the ice and he fell in."

"How long was he in the water?" Joe asked, pulling off FlameWizardmon's hat and setting it aside.

"I don't know." Sorcermon fumbled a little over his words. "Less than a minute? Maybe a minute? But it took a lot longer to get back here."

"He's a fire Majin." Wizardmon murmured. "Usually his core temperature should warm him up again, but being in that water must've been too much for him."

Joe nodded, keeping his eyes on FlameWizardmon. "The hypothermia's definitely setting in; his clothes are freezing solid and his body isn't able to warm itself back up. Somebody grab the blankets; we have to get him warmed up before the cold causes any more damage."

"He stopped moving!" Mimi gasped.

"No, no that's not good." Joe murmured. He started unbuttoning FlameWizardmon's vest, the frozen cloth making cracking sounds as the ice broke. FlameWizardmon continued to gasp as though someone choked him, remaining unmoving as he stared at the sky with a glazed look.

Sorcermon's eyes flicked over to the fire, and he gasped softly. "Of course!" He pulled off his gloves, tossed them aside, and ran over to the fire.

"Sorcermon what are you doing?" Biyomon asked worriedly. She and many of the others gasped when Sorcermon reached into the flames and pulled out a large cinder in each hand. He didn't answer their question as he hurried to FlameWizardmon's side.

"Get out of the way!" Sorcermon ordered, pushing Joe aside with his shoulder.

"Ow!" Joe yelped as he hit the ground. "What are you doing?"

"Saving his life." Sorcermon pushed his hands together and crushed the hot cinders in his palms. He murmured a few words and then spread his hands a few feet apart. The ashes in his hands floated perfectly between his palms. Carefully, deliberately, Sorcermon lowered the ashes onto FlameWizardmon's bare chest, pressing his hands down onto the frozen skin. FlameWizardmon gasped in pain, squeezing his eyes shut. But in seconds, he began to breathe evenly, his face relaxing. Sorcermon's hands glowed softly for a moment and then he sat back on his ankles, hands folded in his lap.

Wizardmon stared at his brother. "FlameWizardmon? You all right?"

FlameWizardmon's eyes blinked open and he sighed, glancing over to Sorcermon. His sewn lips curled into a soft smile. "Thanks…."

Sorcermon only bowed his head, his eyes hidden by the brim of his hat. He unhooked his cape from his shoulders and draped it over FlameWizardmon.

"You should still get those clothes off." Joe suggested. "We'll get them dry and you'll be good as new."

"How about I heat you up right now?" Wizardmon suggested with a smirk, his staff crackling with electricity.

"No!" FlameWizardmon snapped. "You'll barbecue me."

Wizardmon huffed. "Fun sucker." But he looked relieved to see his brother all right.

"Here FlameWizardmon, you can wear my coat." Rika began unbuttoning her jacket.

"No, it's far too cold out." FlameWizardmon said, slowly curling up and shakily standing.

"I insist." Rika said. "I'll sit closer to the fire. Now here." She threw her coat to FlameWizardmon, who quickly caught it. "Go into the bushes and get those clothes off and put that on."

"You know, I realize what I'm doing is for survival." FlameWizardmon said, shivering a little. "But you're really not making it any less awkward."

"Just do it." Rika rolled her eyes.

FlameWizardmon muttered under his breath, sounding like he mimicked her, as he disappeared behind a tree. Several minutes later he sat wrapped in Rika's coat and close to the fire while Wizardmon hung his brother's clothes off a bush near the fire to dry. More than once, FlameWizardmon reminded him to not set his clothes aflame. He returned Sorcermon's cape to him, but the ice Majin instead gave it to Rika to wrap around her shoulders. Sorcermon now stood leaning against a tree nearby, staring at the ground. No amount of coaxing could get him to come back to the fire.

"I think we really blew it, guys." Rika sighed sadly.

"Don't lose hope, Rika." Kari assured. "I think he just needs to get over the shock."

"Are you sure?" Rika asked worriedly. "He used to be so sweet; I think everything happened too fast for him."

"Maybe we _did _rush into things." Matt said.

"Give him time." Gabumon assured. "He'll come around."

Rika glanced over to Sorcermon, staring at him intently. Even though he kept his eyes on the ground, she could've sworn she noticed tears in those icy blue orbs.

* * *

><p>The mid-morning sunlight shined through the trees and settled upon the DigiDestined as they slept, though the light soon began to wake one of them up. Kari sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She shivered a little, glancing over at the dying fire. All that remained were a collection of faintly glowing embers. Gatomon sat up as well, stretching and yawning. When she noticed the lack of a roaring fire, she scooped up a snowball and chucked it at FlameWizardmon, who woke up suddenly with a slight snort.<p>

"What happened?" FlameWizardmon yawned. "What is it?"

"You were supposed to keep the fire going." Gatomon complained tiredly.

FlameWizardmon yawned again. "Hey, I can't be expected to stay up all night. In case you forgot, I almost died from hypothermia."

"Whatever guys." Kari sighed sleepily. She looked around, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Hey, where's Sorcermon?"

Gatomon looked around too. "Where's Wizardmon?"

FlameWizardmon noticed something in the snow and looked down to see two sets of footprints, one on top of the other. His gaze followed the trail into the trees and up the cliff side nearby. "Everybody wake up! Quick!"

* * *

><p>Sorcermon paced back and forth in the snow, muttering under his breath and trying to figure out what he would say when Arukenimon came. She knew how to track the phone she gave him, so he left the DigiDestined early that morning to get far enough away that she wouldn't find them when they found him. Arukenimon sent him a text about an hour ago to inform him she was on her way. Sorcermon finally stopped pacing and sat down on a nearby rock, sighing heavily. His phone beeped again, and he checked to see another message.<p>

_I will be there in exactly five minutes. Keep the DigiDestined where they are or you'll regret it._

Growling in frustration, Sorcermon suddenly turned and smashed the cell phone against the rock he sat on. He ran his fingers through his hair and kicked the snow up, muttering bitterly under his breath.

"Sorcermon."

The ice Majin jumped with a yelp and spun around to find Arukenimon a few feet behind him. He gulped. "H-hello Mistress."

Arukenimon looked around. "Where are the DigiDestined? Or did you already obliterate them like you were supposed to?"

Sorcermon ducked his head. "Um…well, I…."

"Just say it." Arukenimon droned.

Sorcermon sighed. "I never found them. I had them for a moment, but then I lost them. I'm sorry, Mistress."

Arukenimon sighed. Mummymon fingered the gun in his hand, smiling evilly. "May I, my sweet?"

Arukenimon stared at Sorcermon for a moment. "No. I would like to do this myself."

When Sorcermon glanced up, he noticed Arukenimon morphed to her Digimon form. He fought to not tremble. "Mistress, before you hurt me again, may I ask something? Why do you hate the DigiDestined so much?"

"I did not permit you to ask me." Arukenimon snapped. "I hate them because they get in the way. I created you to destroy them and time and time again you failed me. I'm beginning to wonder why I wasted Controls Spires and such magic to create you. Even when Wisemon made that potion to control you, nothing you do brings up results."

Sorcermon blinked in surprise and, despite still fearing it, raised his head to stare at Arukenimon. "What do you mean? Control Spires? Magic?"

"That's right, you never knew." Mummymon chuckled evilly. "You're not a real Digimon, Sorcermon. You're an artificial life form that Arukenimon created using her Control Spires. And she employed Wisemon to use his magic to help."

_Wisemon…._ In Sorcermon's mind, he could remember a strange Digimon dressed in red with a white hood who talked to him in a warm, comforting tone that reminded him of Rika's eyes. "That Wisemon….I killed him….I killed an innocent Digimon…."

"He insulted me." Arukenimon shrugged. "I wanted him dead. And you obeyed, like a good little soldier."

"But I didn't want to!" Sorcermon said, as though trying to convince himself more than Arukenimon. "I….I don't kill Digimon like that….."

"Sure you do." Arukenimon chuckled darkly. "And if you can learn to accept that, maybe you won't get hurt so often. Now bow like a good boy and take your punishment."

Sorcermon shook a little. "Please Mis—" He shouted in pain as Arukenimon's Spider Thread whips smacked him across the face, sending him sprawling on the ground. Without warning, the whippings continued all over him. He winced and grit his teeth in pain, pain erupting all over his body. Every time he tried to rise or beg for forgiveness, the pain and whips came harder and even more painful.

Then, they stopped. Sorcermon looked up painfully, but the agonized look turned to horror at the sight of Wizardmon standing over him, the end of Arukenimon's whip wrapped around his arm.

Wizardmon glared fiercely at Arukenimon, grabbing her Spider Thread whip and emphasizing every word. _"Stop. Hurting. Him!" _He yanked Arukenimon forward and jumped up, kicking her back to Mummymon. Wizardmon knelt down beside Sorcermon. "Are you okay?"

"I'm…fine…" Sorcermon's eyes widened. "Look out!"

Wizardmon turned as Mummymon fired a blast from his gun. _"Magical Game!" _The blue lightning met the white blast halfway and a great explosion erupted, causing a smoke cloud between the Majin and the evil Digimon. Wizardmon pulled Sorcermon to his feet and practically dragged him along as they ran off down the mountain and back into the forest. Sorcermon kept tripping, but Wizardmon still pulled him along and behind a close-knit cluster of trees. They knelt on the ground, panting a little from the running and adrenaline.

"You _followed _me?" Sorcermon gasped.

Wizardmon frowned and punched Sorcermon's shoulder. "Of course I did you moron!" Sorcermon rubbed his now-throbbing shoulder, looking sincerely hurt. Wizardmon's gaze softened and he sighed. "Didn't I tell you we were friends? There's no way I was going to abandon you. I knew you would do something like this so I kept an eye on you and waited for you to leave so I could follow you."

"But you shouldn't have." Sorcermon said. "How can we be friends if I'm a slave to that witch? Why would you risk so much just for me?"

Wizardmon smiled, his gaze warm despite the seemingly permanent scowl in his eyes. "You know, when you're a part of the DigiDestined team, we don't just call each other friends. We refer to each other as family. So if you're a part of our team, you're not just my and Rika's partner; you're like our brother. If you really think about it, the two of us are twins, and Rika always told me the bond between twins is pretty strong."

Sorcermon blinked a few times. "Do _you _believe that?"

Wizardmon thought for a moment. "Yes. I do. I've lived in the Real World long enough to see how twins act with each other. Their bond is very powerful."

Sorcermon stared for a moment, then a small smile began to appear under his cowl.

A flash of light caught his eye, and Sorcermon's eyes widened as he hurriedly shoved Wizardmon to the ground.

His screams rang out in the freezing air as Mummymon's gun blast hit him.

The DigiDestined gasped at the horrible sound of the scream. "Come on!" Joe urged. "This way!" They took off back down the mountain, careful to not trip or slip on the way down.

Wizardmon hurried to Sorcermon's side and lifted the ice wizard into his arms, staring in shock at his now-charred clothes and skin. "What'd you do _that _for?" he asked, almost hysterical.

Sorcermon convulsed a few times, groaning in pain. "We're supposed to be twins, right? We look out for each other." Wizardmon seemed flabbergasted, staring at Sorcermon.

"Aw, how sweet." Arukenimon taunted as she and Mummymon approached. "So nice of you to make his last moments kind for him."

Wizardmon glared, gently setting Sorcermon on the ground and standing protectively in front of him. "You want him? Come get him."

"Aw, now _that _is cute." Mummymon laughed. "You think _you _can stop us?"

"_Pepper Breath!"_

"_Blue Blaster!"_

"_Spiral Twister!"_

The three attacks blasted into Arukenimon and Mummymon, sending them flying backwards.

"If he can't, we will!" Rika growled.

"Glad you could make it!" Wizardmon called as the Digimon charged in.

"We'll take care of this!" FlameWizardmon assured. "You and Rika help Sorcermon!"

"Come on, guys!" Tai urged, him and the other DigiDestined pulling out their Digivices and D3s.

"_Digi-Armor Energize!"_

"_Gatomon Armor Digivolve to…..Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"_

"_Patamon digivolve to…..Angemon!"_

"_Gomamon digivolve to….Ikkakumon!"_

"_Agumon digivolve to…..Greymon!"_

"_Gabumon digivolve to….Garurumon!"_

"_Biyomon digivolve to…..Birdramon!"_

"_Palmon digivolve to….Togemon!"_

"_Tentomon digivolve to….Kabuterimon!"_

"Let's get 'em!" Greymon called as they charged into battle.

Rika and Wizardmon knelt beside Sorcermon, who still convulsed and let out a few pained groans. "You can heal him, right?" Rika asked Wizardmon.

"I think so." Wizardmon nodded.

"No." Sorcermon painfully pushed himself upright. "You should stay away from me."

"Would you stop with the chivalry?" Rika snapped. "We're here for you and that's that."

"Sorcermon!" Arukenimon shouted, dodging another attack from her opponents. "You still obey only me! Destroy the DigiDestined of Darkness while you have the chance! I order you to do it!"

Sorcermon suddenly seized up, and clutched his head as though in pain. Wizardmon and Rika jumped back as what looked like black electricity sparked all around the ice Majin. Then, he stopped holding his head and opened his eyes. Only now, they glowed a heated red. He stood up, staff in hand, and glared at Rika and Wizardmon. It seemed he didn't even notice his wounds and the blow he took.

"_Crystal Barrage." _Sorcermon thrust his snowflake-topped staff forward, launching a flurry of ice shards. Rika and Wizardmon jumped to one side as the shards crashed into the spot they once stood.

"Stay with the others." Wizardmon ordered Rika. "I'll take care of this."

"Don't hurt him!" Rika requested worriedly.

"I won't." Wizardmon assured. "I'm just going to see if I can get him back." He took up his staff and lunged forward, the two Majin quickly becoming locked in battle. The human children stood a safe distance away as the Digimon battled. While the fight with the DigiDestined Digimon and FlameWizardmon looked fierce if not explosive, Rika could only focus on the fight between her two Majin partners. The two of them used whatever skills they had for weapons: their magic, their signature attacks, even clashing their staffs together. Unfortunately, their strength made them evenly matched, and Rika feared she would need to intervene soon or they'd never get out of there. Even worse, she could see dark clouds in the distance and they were steadily making their way towards them. _Why is it whenever we get into huge fights _nothing _goes right for us? _Rika mentally groaned.

Wizardmon held up his staff to block another blow, bracing himself against Sorcermon trying to run him into the ground. "Come on, Sorcermon. Arukenimon doesn't control you; she never could on her own. She needed a potion to do that, but you're stronger than her." Sorcermon finally pushed back and swung his staff at Wizardmon's head, but he ducked in time. "How can you surrender yourself so easily to her? You're stronger than her!"

"_Crystal Barrage." _Another round of ice shards shot from Sorcermon's wand, but Wizardmon leaped high into the air and landed beside Sorcermon. When the ice Majin turned to strike, Wizardmon dropped to the ground and swept his legs from underneath him. Sorcermon hit the ground, groaning a little. Wizardmon took a few steps back, watching his white-clothed twin rise. Then, he raised his staff….and tossed it to one side. Sorcermon's glowing red eyes followed the sun-topped wand as it landed in the snow several feet away, too far for Wizardmon to reach before an attack hit him. Sorcermon looked back at Wizardmon. "Pick it up."

"No." Wizardmon said in a low voice.

"I will not fight you unarmed!" Sorcermon snapped. "Now pick it up!"

"I'm not going to fight you, period." Wizardmon said firmly. "You once showed us a sincere desire to be a friend to all of us, to be a partner to Rika and myself. I'm standing by the belief that you're strong enough to fight against Arukenimon's control, now do it!"

"Oh you fool."

The DigiDestined gasped as a round of Mummymon's gun blasts slammed into their Digimon, making them dedigivolve. FlameWizardmon, the only one standing, ran in to fight Mummymon as Arukenimon approached Wizardmon and Sorcermon. The kids moved to help, but Wizardmon held up a hand to stop them.

"He can never break my control over him." Arukenimon said. "That potion Wisemon created is not a spell that can be broken. Only the destruction of his master can eliminate the control and you will never destroy me!"

"He's stronger than you'll ever be!" Tai shouted. "Because we'll always be stronger than you and he's one of us!" The rest of the DigiDestined voiced their agreements.

"Aw, you're cute." Arukenimon chuckled. "Believing he's actually a part of your group. Don't you realize it? He's just like BlackWarGreymon; he's not even a real Digimon. He's like all my other Control Spire Digimon, only more powerful." She looked over to Sorcermon. "The only problem is that pesky heart Wisemon gave him. Even though he was given a heart of ice he has those ridiculous feelings. I had to waste my energy in torturing him. Though I will admit I enjoyed it very much. Perhaps when we're done here I'll have to do it again."

"If you want to hurt him, you'll go through me." Wizardmon growled.

"I don't intend to go through you." Arukenimon assured. "Sorcermon! Destroy him now!" Sorcermon stared at Wizardmon, then at his staff, and back and forth between the two. "Did you hear me you little idiot? Destroy him!"

"But….he's unarmed, Mistress." Sorcermon's eyes began to flicker, starting to return to their normal icy periwinkle color.

"I don't care!" Arukenimon snapped. "Do it now!"

Sorcermon grunted a little in pain, squeezing his eyes shut and holding his head. He could feel the pain of the controlling potion, fighting to force his muscles into doing something he didn't want to do. He fought as hard as he could, his muscles trembling from the effort.

Arukenimon growled in frustration. "Are you deaf you little—"

"Hey!" Rika shouted, catching the spider woman's attention. "Back off you ugly hag!"

"Be quiet!" Arukenimon snapped. "You do not control him; I do! _Spider Thread!" _She launched the whips towards Sorcermon, but in a flash Rika pulled out her sword and slashed the red ropes away. Arukenimon screeched, as though in pain, and actually reeled back a little.

Rika glared hard, sheathing her sword. "You will _never _control Sorcermon ever again. Because now, the darkness you put within him that took away his free will belongs to me."

Arukenimon's eyes widened when she realized what Rika meant. "No!" She lunged forward.

"_Thunder Ball!" _Wizardmon's blast hit Arukenimon and sent her flying. "Rika, do what you need to do." He hurried over to his staff, scooped it up, and sprinted towards Arukenimon.

"Sorcermon, hold still." Rika instructed, placing a hand on his forehead and chest. She closed her eyes and focused, and to the DigiDestined's awe and surprise dark spirals of smoke curled off Sorcermon's body, forming an inky cloud around Rika. When the last bit of smoke finally left Sorcermon, Rika suddenly shouted in pain and stepped back, hugging herself and fighting to control the black cloud that now swirled around her like a tornado.

"What's happening?" Kari gasped.

"The darkness might be too much for her!" Sora said worriedly.

"No, it's more than that." Joe said. "FlameWizardmon and I were talking about different spells and potions made by Majin Digimon. Stronger spells can be carried from one person to another. Add the fact that Sorcermon is made partly from magic means we may have a big problem."

"Joe, what are you saying?" T.K. asked slowly. "What's wrong with Rika?"

"She took away the darkness that controlled him." Joe said. "But in doing that, she absorbed magic and the spell of control. It could cause some significant damage or, even worse, she might end up controlled by Arukenimon."

"Then let's help her!" Matt urged, running towards Rika. But a suddenly blast of black electricity threw the boy back to his friends. Rika still shouted in pain, fighting against a seemingly invisible force wracking her body.

Sorcermon, kneeling on the ground from exhaustion but hearing the kids' conversation, could only stare at Rika as the black cloud continued to swirl around her. _She's risking so much…..just to help me? I hardly know her; I met her less than a day ago. Why does she treat me like this? Why does she smile at me that way? _He noticed FlameWizardmon suddenly hitting the ground, fighting to rise as Mummymon moved in for another blow. But the DigiDestined Digimon moved in to fight again, despite being too weak to Digivolve. _They're risking so much. _Wizardmon blocked another blow from Arukenimon, but any spectator could see his fatigue. _After being alone for so long. I never wanted friends because Arukenimon wouldn't like it. I thought she would destroy them, so I stayed alone to protect them. But these children, these DigiDestined, they can protect themselves._

* * *

><p>"<em>You know, when you're a part of the DigiDestined team, we don't just call each other friends." Wizardmon said. "We refer to each other as family. So if you're a part of our team, you're not just my and Rika's partner; you're like our brother."<em>

* * *

><p>"<em>Would you stop with the chivalry?" Rika snapped. "We're here for you and that's that."<em>

* * *

><p>Sorcermon glared in determination. <em>If they're willing to risk so much to protect me, then I have to do the same for them. I have to protect them! <em>He stood and hurried over to Rika, ignoring the black electricity hitting him, and grabbed her arms.

An explosion rang out.

* * *

><p><em>The Digimon you seek, a Majin he be. Different from the others, but a friend you'll see. The light to your dark is now cloaked in black. Keep your heart open, you will get him back. Find the Majin with powers of snow. Then, and only then, very far you shall go.<em>

* * *

><p>Rika finally felt the pain die to nothing, and she looked up to see Sorcermon standing before her. The swirling black cloud surrounded him, making his form seem like only a shadow save for two glowing white eyes. The Digimon battles paused as everyone stared at the ice Majin. The black cloud seemed to get closer and closer around him until it finally shot up into the air. Sorcermon moved his arms and hands almost fluidly, moving the inky cloud around until it formed a sphere the size of a softball in his hands. A coat of ice surrounded the dark cloud, containing it.<p>

Rika's jaw dropped a little. "How did you do that?"

Sorcermon locked eyes with her and shrugged a bit. "Anything for my sister."

The raven-haired girl smiled and rushed forward, wrapping the ice Majin in a tight hug. Sorcermon paused, then returned the embrace. Wizardmon came over and patted his new partner's shoulder. "I knew you could do it."

Sorcermon rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, go on. Gloat it up."

"No!" Arukenimon shouted. "That's not possible! Sorcermon! I order you to destroy them!"

Sorcermon leveled the ball of ice and darkness in his gloved hand. "Rika. Do you remember when you told me about that wonderful game called a 'snowball fight'?"

Rika smiled. "Yeah. So?"

Still smirking under his cowl, Sorcermon held up the ball. "Care to do the honors?"

"My pleasure." Rika took the ball.

"Uh oh." Arukenimon groaned. "Run for it, Mummymon!" The two of them took off, but not before Rika threw the ball and it smashed on impact, sending Arukenimon and Mummymon flying into the air and crashing onto the ground.

Sorcermon ran towards them, spinning his staff. _"Drowning Aquarius!" _A stream of water shot from Sorcermon's staff, encasing Arukenimon and Mummymon in a ball of water. _"Ice Illusion!" _A great white cloud came next, sending hail, snow, and winds around the ball of water until it froze solid with Mummymon and Arukenimon in it. Sorcermon nodded in satisfaction. "That ought to hold the two of you for a while." He glared at them, Arukenimon in particular. "I'll have you know that I believe I have every right to destroy the both of you. But I won't this time. Because I still believe in mercy even when foul creatures like yourself don't deserve it." He turned on his heel and he marched back over to the DigiDestined. "Come along. That storm will hit pretty soon."

The kids and the Digimon looked up at the clouds rolling in before following Sorcermon, leaving Arukenimon and Mummymon to only curse themselves for another failure.

* * *

><p>By the time the storm hit, the DigiDestined and Digimon already took shelter in a cave with plenty of firewood to last the night. FlameWizardmon also promised he would actually stay awake and keep the fire going. The entire climb up to the cave, the kids and their Digimon partners kept complimenting Sorcermon on what he did to help Rika. He looked a little sheepish, stuttering a 'thank you' or two. When Mimi came up and kissed his cheek, his face turned bright red. Only now, everyone sat near the fire while Mimi and Sora tried to explain s'mores to Sorcermon.<p>

"I just don't understand why you would give it such a confusing name." Sorcermon said.

"You're telling me." Joe said. "I've fallen for that whole 's'more, some more what' joke like a thousand times." Everyone else laughed.

Sorcermon chuckled too and noticed something glowing in Rika's hand. "Still glowing, I see."

"It only started because of you." Rika said. "You really are supposed to be a part of our team, our family. But even though we've all accepted you, we need to know you accept us."

"What do you say, Sorcermon?" Wizardmon offered. "Would you like to be a DigiDestined? I hear you and I are supposed to DNA Digivolve."

Sorcermon stared at the ground in thought, then nodded. "I would be honored. I will join you; and I'll guard you no matter what happens."

Everyone gasped softly when Rika's Crest glowed even brighter, and something began glowing from Sorcermon's chest. He reached into a pocket under his vest and pulled out the glowing object, soon revealed to be a Crest white as snow. The symbol etched into the Crest was shaped like a shield, with the crescent moon from Rika's Crest and the star from Kari's Crest in the middle.

"Where did you get that?" Wizardmon asked Sorcermon.

"I found it." Sorcermon shrugged. "Or, I guess it found me."

"Hey, I've seen that symbol!" Izzy realized. "When Gennai explained the meaning of the Crests to me, he told of an ancient Crest that was created long before our Crests were made. It was the Crest that carried the powers and blessing of all four Sovereign Digimon. It was called the Crest of the Guardian."

Everybody gasped in awe as the Crest of the Guardian floated from Sorcermon's palm and floated towards Rika. Her tag and Crest glowed brighter, floating up from her chest. The tag and Crest connected with the Crest of the Guardian, and suddenly a bright light flashed. When it died down, it looked as though someone took two tags and glued the backs of them together. On one side was the tag holding the Crest of Darkness. On the other side was a tag holding the Crest of the Guardian.

"That explains why Azulongmon said we'd be getting a new DigiDestined Digimon but not a human." Kari realized. "Rika, you're the DigiDestined of Darkness and the Guardian DigiDestined."

Rika smiled warmly, hugging the tag and two Crests to her chest. "It's official, then." She put an arm around Sorcermon's shoulders and the other around Wizardmon's. "Welcome aboard, Sorcermon."


	36. Rika's Fear

**Rika's Fear**

"Are we there yet?" Mimi whined.

"For the hundredth time, _no_." Rika droned.

"But my feet are cold!" Mimi complained. "And I'm hungry!"

"We're all hungry and cold." Joe reasoned.

"I'm not cold." FlameWizardmon boasted.

"Because you're such a hot head." Wizardmon teased.

FlameWizardmon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Don't worry, guys. We're almost there."

"You sure Renamon and Ranamon wouldn't mind us stopping by for a visit?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, we'd hate to be an inconvenience." Mimi said. "No matter how badly I want a hot bath right now."

She didn't need to worry. When they finally arrived Ranamon hugged each and every one of them so tightly they felt like a boa constrictor wrapped around them. Renamon only laughed lightly and gently coaxed her friend off the poor children and their Digimon. Then she bowed politely and invited them all inside for hot tea and soup to warm them up from their trip to the north.

"A second Digimon partner?" Renamon said happily, sipping her tea. "That sounds wonderful!"

"And he's awfully cute too!" Ranamon winked at Sorcermon, who ducked his head shyly and hurriedly slurped some noodles into his mouth.

"How interesting that your two partners seem to be twins of one another." Renamon said. "I suppose they really _will _bring balance to your team."

Sorcermon looked up a little, trying to sit up straight. "I will do my best to fulfill your expectations of me."

"We only expect you to be our friend and fight to stop the evil in the world." Kari said. "Right now, that's Arukenimon and Mummymon, and you started out great by freezing them in a block of ice earlier."

Sorcermon smiled, murmuring a "Thank you."

"And to think that Rika is the Guardian DigiDestined!" Renamon added. "You should be honored, Rika. Everyone thought such a Crest was only a legend."

"Well, I bet you kiddies must be _freezing _from staying up on that mountain for so long." Ranamon said. "I'll get the Coronamon and Kamemon to heat up the baths and you can soak for a while before you go to bed."

"I wish you wouldn't go to the trouble." Kari said.

"Yeah, we really should get home." T.K. said.

"Nonsense." Ranamon insisted, standing. "You have been travelling all day and you need your rest. Surely your parents can wait another day."

"They aren't expecting us until tomorrow." Tai pointed out. "I mean, FlameWizardmon already had to take off, but that doesn't mean we have to. Besides, we might as well postpone the shock Sorcermon will have when we take him to the Real World."

"You're taking me where?" Sorcermon asked.

"Our home." Rika said. "It's going to be a lot different from what you're used to, but we'll help you out."

"Less talky, more walk-y!" Ranamon clapped as she began herding them all towards the bathhouse. "You're all rosy pink and not in a good way! You are cold and need to get the hot water for a while."

The kids and their Digimon laughed too hard to respond for a while, but finally said they would go if she stopped pushing. Renamon only shook her head and drank her tea.

They split up by gender, and per the usual the boys acted a little more rowdy than the girls. Wizardmon still preferred to be alone and chose to occupy another bath on the boys' side. He closed his eyes and breathed evenly, listening amusedly to the boys' laughing and talking and splashing. Then, he heard footsteps coming towards the door to his bath, and he opened his eyes and turned to see Sorcermon paused at the doorway. He wore only a fluffy white bathrobe wrapped tightly around him.

"Oh." Sorcermon shrunk back. "I'm sorry. I'll…go to another bath."

"No, no." Wizardmon assured, waving him over before he could leave. "Come on in; I don't mind." He stared at Sorcermon, who only stared at the ground. Wizardmon sighed with a small smile and turned his back to Sorcermon, covering his eyes. "I'm not looking." A pause, then he heard the quick _pitter-patter _of Sorcermon speed walking across the room and slipping into the bath. But when Wizardmon uncovered his eyes, he noticed Sorcermon curled in a ball with a now-soaking wet towel clutched to his chest. "Um…what are you doing?"

"Nothing." Sorcermon said too quickly.

Wizardmon cast a knowing gaze. "Sorcermon. What's wrong?"

"I told you nothing." Sorcermon said, turning his head away from Wizardmon, who raised an eyebrow in confusion. But he only shrugged and settled down in the bath. After several minutes of awkward silence, a Coronamon came in.

"Are you two doing all right?" she asked. "Need the water warmer or anything?"

"I'm all right." Wizardmon said. "Sorcermon?"

"Fine." Sorcermon said softly.

The Coronamon looked over to Sorcermon. "There's something on your back."

"No there's not." Sorcermon said quickly.

"Yes there is." The Coronamon said, stepping closer. "You _did _wash up a bit before going in, right?"

"Yes, so there's nothing there." Sorcermon said hurriedly, scooting away from her.

"Now just hold still and let me see." Coronamon said, pushing his hair back. "They look like scratch—"

"No!" Sorcermon suddenly spun around and threw a magical blast from his palms, encasing the Coronamon from the neck down in ice. Wizardmon jumped at the sudden reaction, but his eyes caught a flash of red before Sorcermon could dive under the bath and out of sight.

"I'm _really _sorry about that." Wizardmon told the Coronamon.

"Oh, i-it's n-n-not that b-bad." Coronamon shivered. She took a deep breath in, and her head became inflamed as the ice melted and freed her. The flames spread to the rest of her and died down when the ice melted completely. She sighed in relief. "I suppose I shouldn't have pried. I'll leave you two alone."

Wizardmon thanked Coronamon and watched her leave the room. He moved over to Sorcermon and noticed the lack of bubbles rising from him, meaning he was probably running out of air. The Majin lifted his twin from the waters and Sorcermon gasped deeply, coughing. He clutched the wet towel to his chest again and his wet bangs were now pressed against his forehead and in his eyes. When he noticed the look in Wizardmon's eyes, the ice Majin tried to sink down into the water again.

"Oh I don't think so." Wizardmon grabbed Sorcermon's arm and hoisted him above water. "Start talking."

Sorcermon wanted to duck down again, but Wizardmon kept staring at him with an unsettling gaze and he finally gave in. He turned his back to Wizardmon and pulled his hair over one shoulder. Wizardmon's look changed to one of shock at the sight of scratch marks up and down Sorcermon's back, obviously scars, from Arukenimon's whippings.

"Whenever Mis—I mean, Arukenimon whipped me, I could easily heal myself so it looked like nothing happened." Sorcermon explained softly. "My talents rest with healing more than flexibility." He turned to face Wizardmon and dropped the towel he held to reveal a second scar: jagged red lines that carved out the picture of a spider with the word "slave" etched into the abdomen. "Arukenimon forbade me from healing this wound. She told me if I did, she'd keep carving it back into my skin and make it more painful every time. I didn't believe her once…I was wrong….."

Wizardmon stared at the terrifying scar for another moment before looking up to Sorcermon. "Okay, so you have some painful reminders."

"They aren't just physically painful." Sorcermon said. "I will always be forced to remember that I was once a slave to that horrible woman."

Wizardmon smiled softly. "You're not alone. I suffer a similar pain from someone I don't like very much."

"I highly doubt they're anything like Arukenimon." Sorcermon huffed.

Wizardmon stifled a laugh. "Believe me when I say he's much worse." He felt the tightness in his throat and looked down. "But I can't talk about it. If I try to tell anyone about him…I don't even know how, but he stops me."

"Does he watch us?" Sorcermon asked. "Like, right now?"

"I don't know." Wizardmon admitted. "I haven't seen him in a very long time, save for my nightmares."

Sorcermon stared at Wizardmon, gently tracing the jagged lines of his spider scar with his finger.

* * *

><p><em>Rika didn't know why she ran like she did, darting past trees and leaping over roots. But she felt more at ease with Sorcermon running next to her on the right and Wizardmon flying beside her on the left. They burst through some thick brush and suddenly found a large clearing. Looking behind her, she found the forest disappeared. In fact, she only saw grasslands all around her. Except the grass was black and the dirt grey. Black clouds filled the sky as far as the eye could see.<em>

"_Be careful." Wizardmon warned, landing softly on the ground. "I sense something coming." Suddenly, black vines shot from the ground and wrapped around the Majin. Before Rika could even scream, the vines dragged her Digimon underground and he disappeared._

"_What happened to him?" Rika asked frantically. The ground began shaking, and the dirt shifted and shot up into the air as a ginormous Devimon rose up and snarled at Rika and Sorcermon._

"_Rika, I need to Digivolve!" Sorcermon said hurriedly. "I need to be a Mega to fight him!"_

"_You think you can handle it?" Rika asked worriedly._

"_Yeah, no problem!" Sorcermon assured._

_Rika nodded, pulling out her Digivice. "Okay! Digivolve to Mega!"_

_Sorcermon became enveloped in a swirling black cloud, and suddenly he shouted as though in pain. He began to morph and change, and Rika jumped back with a scream when a Lucemon Chaos Mode towered over her. The evil Mega snarled at Rika, lunging towards her—_

* * *

><p>Rika bolted upright in her bed, panting heavily. She looked all around and sighed in relief when she found herself still in one of the rooms of the Rena-Rana Onsen. She laid back on her bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about the nightmare she kept having that night. Every time she fell asleep, it would return. This last time seemed to be the tenth time she suffered through it, and no matter how many times she experienced it the nightmare still made her wake up in a cold sweat. It was no mystery why she had these nightmares: she feared Sorcermon would Dark Digivolve like Wizardmon did. Rika didn't know how likely Sorcermon would actually Dark Digivolve, if he would Digivolve at all. Still, the nightmares plagued her psyche, and though she hated to admit it, she <em>was <em>afraid. When Wizardmon Dark Digivolved to Dark Splashmon, he wasn't the brotherly Digimon she knew and loved; he was a monster. Rika wanted to believe Sorcermon too kind for such a thing, but then she remembered that Sorcermon had plenty of trauma from Arukenimon's treatment.

_Could he really Digivolve to a monster? _Rika wondered. _Will I force him to do something that puts us all in danger?_

"Rika?"

Rika jumped a little with a soft gasp, and her eyes locked with Sorcermon as he approached her bed. "Oh, I'm sorry." Sorcermon whispered to avoid waking the other room's occupants. "I was just going to make some breakfast. I didn't mean to disturb you, but you seem troubled."

"No, no." Rika assured, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm fine. What time is it?"

"Haven't the foggiest." Sorcermon shrugged. "But the sun's beginning to rise." His eyes brightened. "Hey, I know! Come with me!" He took Rika's hand and hurriedly pulled her along, hardly giving her time to protest. She yelped when something hit her foot and realized her violin case strap looped around her ankle. But Sorcermon kept pulling her along, so she hopped on one leg to untangle the strap and then slung the instrument over her shoulder. She and the ice Majin quietly stampeded down the stairs and out the door. Sorcermon kept dragging Rika along until they reached a cliff edge. "Now just look at that." Sorcermon pointed to the horizon, and Rika gasped softly at the sight of the oranges, pinks, even some purple gracing the sky as the sun rose.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Rika sighed. "It's beautiful."

Sorcermon sat down, letting his legs dangle over the cliff edge. "When I was living in the northern region, I always like to live on the mountains because I would wake up in the mornings and see this. It always made me feel happy to see something so beautiful."

Rika joined Sorcermon on the ground. "Yeah. It's wonderful."

"I always love the mornings and the daytime." Sorcermon said. "Because I get to see everything around me. There's no mystery of my surroundings; it's a little….safer, that way."

Rika nodded in understanding. "I always liked the night myself. When I was a kid I used to pretend I was a ninja, cloaked in the darkness. Plus, my family used to gather every evening to do some bonding."

"Really? How?" Sorcermon asked.

"We'd come together and play music." Rika said. "Instruments, singing, you name it. We'd just choose a song we like and we perform together."

"That sounds fun." Sorcermon said.

"Yeah…..it was…" Rika looked down, feeling her heart ache.

Sorcermon sensed the new tension and quickly tried to change the subject. "So, what's that thing you have?"

Rika looked down to see her violin case still hooked over her shoulder. She brought it around and set it on the ground, opening it and lifting the violin into her hands. "It's an instrument called a violin. My grandmother gave it to me and taught me how to play."

"Are you pretty good?" Sorcermon asked.

Rika seemed a little sheepish. "Well, yeah, kind of."

"Play something!" Sorcermon requested happily. Rika chuckled a little, but took up the bow to the string instrument and began playing a happy tune. Sorcermon seemed mesmerized by the sound the instrument made. Rika smiled warmly at the sight of his eyes sparkling, and her fears of him Dark Digivolving disappeared.

For now.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure your parents won't mind the extra guest?" Sorcermon asked worriedly as he journeyed to the Kamiya residence with Wizardmon, Rika, Kari, Gatomon, and Tai. The rest of the DigiDestined children returned to their homes and their Digimon to the DigiWorld.<p>

"Our parents won't mind because they'll never know you're there." Tai assured. "You, Wizardmon, and Rika are free to do what you want during the day, and at night we'll hide you guys so you have a nice place to sleep."

"I'm not sure how comfortable I am with this." Sorcermon said.

"I'm not sure how comfortable I am with your clothes." Wizardmon said.

Sorcermon looked down at his jumper, looking a little hurt. "You realize we wear the exact same outfit, right?"

"It's not a huge deal." Rika assured. "It's just that when you're in the Real World, no one can know you're a Digimon. Most of the DigiDestined's Digimon pretend to be toys or stuffed animals. Gatomon can pretend to be a normal housecat."

"And you and Wizardmon have the advantage of looking like humans when dressed right." Gatomon said. "Wizardmon can change his clothes to look like a human teenager."

"I'll show you how when we get home." Wizardmon offered.

"I still don't see how we're going to hide from your parents." Sorcermon said.

His answer came when he realized Wizardmon had to fly them all up to the balcony several stories off the ground. Rika went up first, then Sorcermon, who clung to Wizardmon and kept his eyes squeezed shut until they touched down on the terrace. Wizardmon still carried him as he darted into the apartment and into Tai's room where the others waited.

"Are we on the ground yet?" Sorcermon whimpered a little.

"Yes." Wizardmon said bluntly, dropping his icy twin on the ground. "How is it you're a variation of myself but you can't fly?"

"FlameWizardmon can't either." Sorcermon muttered.

"Okay guys, get some rest." Tai said. "Tomorrow we have school, but afterwards we'll all go out for a night on the town!"

Sorcermon cocked his head. "I'm not sure I know what that means."

Rika giggled a little. "Don't worry; we'll catch you up to speed. But one thing you need to remember is that while we're out you need to be in human clothes to disguise yourself. Or, if possible, turn yourself into a human."

"I'm not sure I'll be able to catch on that fast." Sorcermon said uncertainly. "There are two things I specialize in and that's ice magic and healing magic."

"Maybe you don't need to change your clothes with magic." Tai suggested, rummaging in his dresser and pulling out one of his old blue shirts and a pair of jeans. "Here. Put these on and maybe that's all you need."

Sorcermon seemed unsure as he stared at Tai's shirt. "Um, I'm not so sure—"

"Oh just do it!" Tai said, forcibly shoving Sorcermon into his closet. "I bet you'll look great!" However, when Sorcermon emerged wearing Tai's shirt and pants along with his white wizard hat, nobody could help but admit that he looked very strange. In other words, a far cry from looking human.

"I'll show you how to magically change your clothes tomorrow." Wizardmon assured.

"Will I really be able to pass off as a human?" Sorcermon asked. "I don't necessarily fit in around here."

"You'll get used to it." Rika assured. "Now get to bed."

"Up there." Tai clarified, jerking his thumb to the top bunk of his bed. "You and Wizardmon stay up there and pull the curtain over so Mom doesn't see you in the mornings."

"And I'm going to sleep in the closet." Rika said. "You guys sleep well." The boys bid the girls goodnight as the latter walked off to Kari's room to sleep. The boys soon followed suit, the two Majin climbing up to the top bunk of the bed.

"So this is what a bed feels like." Sorcermon said, bouncing on the mattress a bit. "More comfortable than most of my sleeping arrangements."

"You are full of surprises, Sorcermon." Wizardmon said. "Or I guess lack thereof. It's like you don't know anything."

"Well it's not like I had anyone to teach me….well, anything." Sorcermon shrugged, pulling the blanket over him.

Wizardmon stared at Sorcermon for a while before lying down on the other side of the bed. He pulled the blanket up over him and stared at the ceiling. "Sorcermon. Have you ever had a family?"

"Would you laugh at me if I asked what a family is?" Sorcermon asked.

"So you've never had someone to care about you?" Wizardmon summarized. "Never had someone to look out for you?"

"I'm very serious when I say that you, Rika, and the rest of the DigiDestined were my very first friends." Sorcermon said. "But don't worry; so I waited a long time to find people like you, so what? Arukenimon made my life very miserable, but now I'm with you all so I don't have to be sad about it anymore. It's going to take some time to truly let go, but that doesn't mean I won't stop trying."

Wizardmon didn't answer; he only rolled to one side and forced himself to go to sleep. _Such innocence….lucky Duckmon… _"Well, that's good to hear. Goodnight, otōto-san."

"Goodnight." Sorcermon rolled over on one side to sleep. Seconds later, he sat upright. "Hey, why do _I _have to be the younger twin?"

"Because in all technicality, _I _was born first." Wizardmon replied simply.

Sorcermon made a sort of whine/groan sound, a deadpan look cast towards Wizardmon.

* * *

><p>Rika, Wizardmon, and Sorcermon waited patiently outside the school until the bell finally rang and their DigiDestined friends came out to greet them. Kari already informed them all about Sorcermon, but that didn't stop their surprise when they realized how very similar he looked to Wizardmon.<p>

"Wow!" Yolei gushed. "You're so cute!"

Sorcermon's face began burning again and he quickly ducked his head under his baseball cap. "You know we look exactly alike but you never said that to me." Wizardmon huffed.

"I think you both look pretty awesome." T.K. said. "I see you've really caught on to the human fashion, Sorcermon."

The ice Majin looked down at his outfit. His jumper was now a pair of dark blue jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt. His vest was the same color, but lengthened out to cover his entire torso with a zipper up the front. His gloves stayed the same, and his shoes were now white sneakers. His cowl became a sky blue bandana, and he even went the extra mile to turn his wizard's hat into a blue baseball cap. Like Wizardmon, his staff was now a chain necklace with the pendant the same as the ornament on the wand.

"I suppose if it makes me look like a human." Sorcermon shrugged.

"Well now that you look like a human, let's get going!" Yolei urged. "Let's do some shopping!"

"Don't forget, our main goal is to get Sorcermon accustomed to the Real World." Cody reminded her.

"He'll do great!" Davis assured. "No problem!"

"The more we talk, the less time we have to sightsee." Rika said. "Now let's go." They all agreed and walked off, Sorcermon staying as close to Rika as he could without tripping her. The raven-haired girl looked down and smiled comfortingly, but Sorcermon kept his eyes hidden by the bill of his hat. He stayed close to Rika the entire train ride to Shinjuku. He didn't seem to like so many people around him, given the fact that his skin seemed to get paler and paler by the minute. But when they finally reached Shinjuku he calmed down a bit, even though he was very shy about meeting Ken and Minomon. Wizardmon, having spent many a family evening in the district, pointed out the shops he liked best and even mentioned a few he liked in Harajuku, which led to an explanation of the different districts of Tokyo. It certainly took Sorcermon's mind off the number of people around him.

"Hey! Check this out!" Davis called everyone over to a small noodle stand nearby. He took a deep inhale and sighed in happiness. "That smells so great!"

"They taste better." The stand vendor said, passing the kids a couple menus. "Take your pick; great noodles for a great price! And you can take it with you in our biodegradable, recyclable containers!"

"This guy must've been in business for a while." Rika whispered to Kari, the two girls giggling. The kids bought their food and found a park with a picnic table to eat.

Sorcermon stared at his bowl, sniffing it a few times. "Are you sure this is even edible?"

"We're eating it, aren't we?" DemiVeemon shrugged.

"Yeah, but you eat anything." Minomon laughed.

"Just pick up some of the noodles in your chopsticks and slurp them up." Poromon said. "They're really good; trust us."

Sorcermon shrugged and did what Poromon said, lifting his bandana just enough to get some of the noodles into his mouth. He almost spit them out again because of the heat, but forced himself to swallow. "Well, I think I just burned my mouth, but other than that it's okay."

"Just okay?" Yolei asked.

"Well, maybe I can fix it." Sorcermon put his hands around the bowl and focused his powers. Before everyone's eyes, the broth suddenly hardened and frosted over. Sorcermon took his chopsticks, now stuck in the frozen broth, and pulled his food out like a noodle Popsicle. He took a bite and smiled. "Much better."

"Whoa!" T.K. smiled. "That's so cool!"

Sorcermon laughed a little nervously. "Ice wizard. It's just what I do." Everyone laughed good-heartedly.

"Just be careful." Wizardmon warned. "You and I can't use our powers unless the situation demands it, and freezing your food does not count as a 'demanding situation'."

"Understood." Sorcermon nodded, continuing to eat.

"Also, you need a human name we can call you by when you're disguised." Rika said.

"Really?" Sorcermon asked.

"Yes, it helps decrease suspicion." Wizardmon said. "Mine's 'Ukito'."

"How about we make yours 'Kanta'?" Rika suggested. "That was the name of a cousin of mine."

"It 'was'?" Sorcermon asked. "Why isn't it his name now?"

Rika looked down. "He…..um…died, years ago."

Sorcermon looked down, mentally beating himself up for asking. "Well, I will live up to the name. I'll be Kanta when I'm in human mode."

Rika giggled. "Sounds good."

* * *

><p>"Hey, look at this!" Davis called.<p>

"How many times now has he said that?" Cody sighed. Everyone else laughed quietly as they walked over to Davis, finding him next to a strange machine with a small punching bag attached, standing next to an arcade.

"This is new." T.K. commented. "What is it?"

"They have these all over in America!" Davis said. "You punch this bag right here to show off how strong you are! Watch!" He gave DemiVeemon to Rika to hold and put in a 50 yen coin. The machine lit up, ready to go, and Davis prepared for the punch. Everyone else took a step back, watching as Davis wound his fist backwards and threw it as hard as he could.

The bag hardly moved.

"_Weakling. Weakling. Ha. Ha. Ha." _The machine said, much to everyone else's amusement.

Davis turned and glared. "What are you all laughing at? You think any of you could do better?"

"Why don't you try it, Sorcermon?" Ken encouraged.

"Um, okay." Sorcermon timidly walked up as Rika put in a coin. The machine lit up and Sorcermon took a moment to look back and forth between his hand and the bag. Then he made his hand into a fist and pulled it back. He threw his fist forward and it slammed into the punching bag. Not only did the bag shoot up into the machine, but a blast of ice suddenly shot into the game and made it spark and smoke. The machine voice made strange sounds.

"Run for it!" Yolei hissed, and they all quickly obeyed.

Once they made it far enough away, the kids and their Digimon burst into laughter. Except for Sorcermon, who seemed a little upset. "I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't mean to do that."

"Are you kidding?" DemiVeemon laughed as they kept walking. "That was awesome!"

"Man, you're like an icier, more powerful version of Wizardmon!" Davis said excitedly.

Wizardmon glowered at the boy, who shrunk down a little. "You realize that even without my staff I can still fry you alive, right?"

Davis chuckled nervously. "I didn't mean it like that, Wizardmon. But I mean, didn't Arukenimon create Sorcermon to be a more powerful version of Wizardmon? Like how BlackWarGreymon is supposed to be a more powerful and eviler version of WarGreymon?"

"I don't think that's how it works." Gatomon said.

"Who's BlackWarGreymon?" Sorcermon asked.

"A Digimon made from a hundred Control Spires." Yolei explained. "He's really strong, and even though Arukenimon created him he never followed her orders."

"Is he our enemy?" Sorcermon asked.

"We don't know." Wizardmon said, an almost bitter tone coming to his voice. "He's a loose cannon, which makes him even more dangerous." He sighed. "Can we change the subject please?" Though a bit confused over Wizardmon's behavior, T.K. was the first to oblige and suggested they go into a nearby shop.

Sorcermon couldn't focus very much, his mind set on thoughts about this BlackWarGreymon. _He's a Control Spire Digimon, like me? I never heard of him. Then again, it's not like Arukenimon told me anything about…..anything. Why am I even thinking about this? It's not like BlackWarGreymon is anything like me. _He paused. _Except we were both servants to Arukenimon, even when he didn't obey her. We're both more powerful than most Digimon. We're….different from other Digimon. _He cast a glance around to each of the DigiDestined children in the store, each one either browsing through racks, trying things on, talking and laughing, or all three. _BlackWarGreymon and I surely aren't so alike. They've accepted me into their group, but can I accept it myself?_

* * *

><p>"Well guys, I'd say this has been a really great afternoonevening." Yolei said.

"You said it." Kari agreed. "What better way to finish it off than with some ice cream?"

"How do you like yours, Sorcermon?" Patamon asked.

Sorcermon took another bite of his ice cream. "I think it's going to be my favorite Real World food. Is this really what it tastes like when you mix together ice and cream?"

"Sort of." T.K. explained. "You also add some other stuff; I think eggs and salt are added too."

Sorcermon nodded, seeming to muse over the idea. "I have noticed you have very strange names for foods, and very interesting foods overall."

"What did you used to eat before?" Yolei asked.

"Mostly whatever I could find." Sorcermon said. "Lots of berries and some roots, especially up in the northern region. At one point, I became so hungry I ate tree bark." He grimaced. "I was picking splinters out of my teeth for a week." They all laughed, and this time Sorcermon allowed himself to chuckle along with them.

Kari sighed peacefully, looking around at the park they rested in. "It's so quiet around here. We're not very far from the shopping center, but those buildings really block out the noise."

"I say it's too quiet." Davis said. "Anybody bring a radio?"

"Rika has her violin, as usual." Poromon pointed out. "How about we sing a song?"

"Will you play your violin, Rika?" Yolei requested, the others echoing her. Rika smiled small and nodded, pulling her violin case around and setting it on the table. She pulled out the string instrument and began tuning it.

"What should we sing?" DemiVeemon asked.

"How about 'Country Roads'?" Yolei suggested. "I really like that song, and we haven't sung it in a while."

"We haven't really heard Rika play in a while." Cody noted.

"I practice up on the roof of Kari's apartment." Rika shrugged. "Ready guys?"

Kari noticed Rika didn't have the usual brightness to her eyes or smile. In fact, she seemed very melancholy for quite some time now. Kari wanted nothing more than to find out what was wrong and help fix it, but she didn't know how to approach Rika about whatever problem she had. Rika didn't like to talk about things that bothered her; she kept it all in like a powder keg. Unfortunately, sooner or later something would spark in the keg and it would explode and take Rika with it, sending her either in a fit of rage or collapsing into sobs.

Rika did a little more fine tuning, then began to play. But Kari didn't see that smile appear on Rika's face like it usually did. When the others began to sing, the raven-haired girl remained quiet. Then, her playing began to slow down until she stopped completely. The singing stopped too as everyone stared worriedly at Rika. Without a word, Rika suddenly stood up and jogged off, her violin still in hand.

"Something's wrong with her." T.K. sighed.

"It's me, isn't it?" Sorcermon mumbled glumly. "I'm the only thing that's changed in your group."

"It's probably something like that." Wizardmon nodded.

"Way to be sensitive." Davis snorted.

"No, I'm serious." Wizardmon said. "I've been reading her thoughts lately, and she's…."

"What is it?" Cody asked. "Don't leave us hanging."

Wizardmon sighed. "She's afraid Sorcermon will Dark Digivolve."

Everyone fell silent as the realization dawned on them. "What does that mean?" Sorcermon asked.

"To Dark Digivolve is to digivolve into a Digimon that's very evil." Patamon explained. "So evil that the Digimon can't control himself. It happened to Agumon a couple times, and Wizardmon did it once."

"Rika felt terrible, because her anger fueled the Digivolution." T.K. added. "Who could blame her? I would feel the same way if it happened to me and Patamon."

Sorcermon stared after Rika. "Should we go after her?"

"Nah, let her have some time alone." Yolei said. "She needs to work this out herself."

Wizardmon kept staring in the direction Rika went, feeling fear crawling up his spine like a spider.

* * *

><p>Rika leaned against a tree, making sure she was out of her friends' sight so she could compose herself. She stared at her grandmother's violin, fighting her tears. The anniversary of the fire would be coming soon, and per tradition she and Wizardmon would go to the family tombstone to pay their respects. When she lived in the Digital World, she would just visit the Real World for that one day out of the year and then come back. Since she returned to live with Kari and Tai, she couldn't help but see things that reminded her of her family. She hated it. She didn't want to remember things like that. Not only did it make her insanely sad, but she feared it would lead to another Dark Digivolution for Sorcermon or Wizardmon. The guilt she felt from Wizardmon's Dark Digivolution had yet to leave her. She knew her Crest meant more than just darkness, and the Crest of the Guardian she now owned meant she was good, but she still couldn't let go of many things.<p>

_Man do I need to get a grip. _Rika sighed. _If I can, that is._

"Aw, poor little baby."

Rika gasped and spun around to see two familiar faces. "Arukenimon? Mummymon?"

"Were you expecting someone else?" Mummymon chuckled.

"What are _you _doing here?" Rika growled. "And how did you get to the Real World?"

"That's none of your concern." Arukenimon said. "But I think you'll love how we're going to get back…with you coming along."

"I don't think so." Rika growled. She reached for her sword, but realized with a start she never strapped it to her belt before leaving home that day. Arukenimon blew her Acid Mist, but Rika jumped back to avoid it. Mummymon, who jumped up as Arukenimon attacked, landed behind Rika and suddenly grabbed her arm. Rika moved to punch him, but Mummymon moved first with a punch to the gut that knocked the wind out of her. Rika fell to her knees, gasping. _What is wrong_ _with me? Usually I can take guys down in seconds but now I can't do anything. _

Suddenly, Mummymon yanked her violin from her hand. "What's this? It's so cute!"

"Put that down!" Rika ordered, jumping up to grab the precious item.

But Mummymon swung his gun around and it collided with Rika's temple, forcing her to fall to the ground in a daze. What forced her to snap back to her senses was the loud _CRUNCH _of Mummymon's foot smashing her violin. She stared in horror at the shattered-beyond-repair instrument, feeling her heart implode on itself from the shock. Suddenly, Mummymon's Snake Bandage attack wrapped around her and she began struggling again.

"Let me go or I'll scream!" Rika ordered.

"You wouldn't dare." Mummymon huffed. He and Arukenimon jumped when Rika let out an ear-splitting scream that wouldn't stop until Mummymon wrapped some of the linen around her mouth.

That didn't stop the scream from carrying over to the DigiDestined, who whipped around in the direction of the sound. "Rika!" Wizardmon shouted, sprinting towards his partner. The others followed close behind, ready to fight but still surprised when they saw Arukenimon and Mummymon.

"Catch us if you can, DigiDestined." Arukenimon laughed, pulling out a circular device and pressing the green button on it.

"Rika!" Wizardmon dove forward to grab her, but his partner and her kidnappers disappeared in a flash and he face planted into the ground. He growled and smashed his fists into the dirt, trembling from anger.

Sorcermon, holding Rika's violin case, knelt down beside the broken remains of her beloved string instrument. He carefully picked up the pieces and laid them into the case, making sure he got every single piece down to the last splinter.

"What do we do now?" Upamon asked worriedly.

"We're going to find them." Wizardmon growled, standing and glaring at the ground. "We're going to find them, save Rika, and then I'm going to tear those two to pieces!"


	37. The Light to My Darkness

**The Light to My Darkness**

Thanks to Izzy, the DigiDestined could track Rika's Digivice and found her in the Digital World. Unfortunately, it took much longer than Wizardmon would've liked, and Kari had to take him up to the roof of her apartment so he could through a Thunder Ball or two into the sky out of frustration. When they discovered their friend's location, they immediately teleported off to find her. However, when they found the Digivice they didn't find Rika with it. Instead, the device rested at the mouth of a dark cave.

"There's an inscription here." Patamon said, flying to the door. "'Welcome to the Labyrinth of Lost Souls. Enter at your own risk, for you shall never come out alive.' Well, it's nice that they warn you ahead of time."

Wizardmon marched forward, only stopping when Sorcermon stepped in his path. "Um, what are you doing? Did you not see the sign that says 'you shall never come out alive'?"

"I don't care." Wizardmon said firmly. "Rika's in there, so I'm going to find her."

"We all know she's in there." T.K. said. "But we also know it's most likely a trap for us. Arukenimon knows we'd never abandon Rika. So obviously she put her someplace where we'll either never find her again or get lost trying. The only way we're going to find her is if we stick together. You understand?"

Wizardmon sighed, clearly agitated. "All right. Let's just go!"

Everyone took a deep breath and started their journey into the labyrinth. At first, it was only one long tunnel that seemed to go on and on and on without end. The blackness of the tunnel seemed to get darker and darker as the opening to the cave suddenly became so small nobody could see it. Then, they noticed firelight in the distance and came to a fork in the road with torches lining the walls.

"Now which way?" Hawkmon asked.

"I heard following the left wall gets you to the end of every maze." Cody said. "I bet we'll find Rika at the end of the maze."

"So left then." Yolei said, and everyone began walking that way. They tried to follow the left wall, but the plan became skewed when they reached a circular chamber will multiple pathways to choose from. When they tried to follow the left wall, they ended up somehow going into circles and returning to the circular room until finally choosing a random pathway that allowed them to keep going.

_I'm going to find you, Rika. _Wizardmon thought, his eyes locked on the road ahead. _I promise._

* * *

><p>Rika gasped, her eyes shooting open, as her nightmare ended and she was pulled back into reality. At least, what she assumed was reality. Her "reality" was a dungeon with stone walls, ceiling, and floor and one wall made of steel bars. She would blink, and suddenly her surroundings would change to bring her into another nightmare. Or sometimes she would watch as the dungeon morphed and changed to her nightmare setting. The nightmares seemed to cycle in and out as though on a circulating schedule: watching her family burn in the apartment fire, Sorcermon and Wizardmon Dark Digivolving and attacking her, the girls in her school teasing her and calling her names, Sam and Ken leaving her, the DigiDestined scorning her and telling her she didn't belong with them. The worst one seemed to be the one where she stood in an empty dark space, completely alone no matter where she ran. Every time, she found herself waking up in the dungeon, only to fall back into another nightmare seconds later.<p>

Growling in anger, Rika ran forward and rattled the bars to the dungeon. "Hey! You can't keep me here! Do you hear me? My friends will come for me! I'll escape! You'll see! I'll get out!" She kept rattling the bars, breathing a little hard. "I'll get out! I'll get out! I'll get out. I'll get out. I'll get out….I'll get…I'll get…..I'll…." She stopped rattling the bars staring at the ground. She continued to stare as the blackness came and pulled her into another nightmare.

* * *

><p>"Can we stop?" Davis groaned.<p>

"Yeah, we've been walking around for, like, an hour." Veemon complained.

"Do you see Rika anywhere?" Wizardmon snapped. "Then we don't stop until we find her."

"Wizardmon, we need a new plan." Sorcermon said. "We all want to find Rika but wandering around this place won't help us. We're wasting time by wandering. The more time we waste wandering the higher the risk of not finding Rika at all."

"Hey guys! You'll never guess what I found!" Patamon called, his voice sounding a little far away. Everyone looked up to see the little orange and white Digimon high above their heads, at the very top of the walls of the maze.

"Patamon!" T.K. called. "What are you doing up there?"

"I was just thinking about how the ceiling looked a little far away to be attached to the walls!" Patamon called back. "And then I flew up here and I found out why: the ceiling's higher than the maze itself!"

"So we can fly over it and find Rika faster!" Ken realized.

"Well done, Patamon!" Wormmon complimented.

"Okay then!" Davis called. "Let's Digivolve, guys!"

"_Digi-Armor energize!"_

"_Gatomon Armor Digivolve to….Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"_

"_Patamon Armor Digivolve to….Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!"_

"_Veemon digivolve to…..ExVeemon!"_

"_Wormmon digivolve to….Stingmon!"_

"_Hawkmon digivolve to….Aquilamon!"_

The kids mounted their respective Digimon partners, with Cody and Armadillomon on Aquilamon's back with Yolei and Sorcermon riding with T.K. on Pegasusmon. Wizardmon flew beside Nefertimon. They all flew up and discovered Patamon's words rang true: the cavern ceiling curved up in a dome shape with the labyrinth laid out on the ground. But when the DigiDestined saw the extensiveness of the maze, their jaws dropped. As far as they could see it was all just twists, turns, turnarounds and dead ends. They couldn't even see where they entered the maze.

"Okay." Patamon intoned. "This plan sounded better in my head."

"We can't give up." Kari cupped her hands around her mouth. "Rika! Rika! We're trying to find you! Can you hear us?"

* * *

><p>Rika opened her eyes to discover the dungeon yet again. But this time, what woke her up was the sound of someone calling her name. She listened carefully, her ears straining for the sound.<p>

There! Kari's voice in the air. Rika jumped to her feet, looking all around. "Kari! Kari! I'm here!"

* * *

><p>"Can you see or hear her?" Armadillomon asked.<p>

"Nothing. Not a single soul." Pegasusmon sighed.

Kari wouldn't give up. "Rika! Gives us some sort of sign! We're trying to find you but we don't know where you are! Please answer!"

* * *

><p>"Kari!" Rika called. "Kari! I'm here!" Suddenly, the blackness spread around the room and Rika found herself in the empty dark space. She glared. "No! No not again! I won't be afraid of these nightmares again!" She closed her eyes and focused hard. When she opened her eyes, a violin rested in her hands. She positioned it perfectly on her shoulder and in her hand, twirling the bow in her free hand. Then she began to play, letting the music flow into the air.<p>

* * *

><p>Kari perked up. "You guys hear that?"<p>

Everyone listened. "It's Rika's violin!" Cody gasped in realization.

"Keep playing, Rika!" Yolei called. "Play that tune and we'll follow it!"

* * *

><p>Rika kept playing, tapping her foot and preparing herself to sing. But then, the inky blackness around her changed until she was surrounded by flames. Rika kept her focus on her music. Shadows appeared on the walls, shouting hurtful words and hitting Rika's heart like a sucker punch to the jaw. She started singing, but her voice faltered as the shouts kept coming. Fighting for control, she kept playing as well as she could. But even then, she began to slow and stumble over her words and notes. Suddenly, flames shot towards her and an involuntary scream of terror ripped from her throat.<p>

* * *

><p>Everyone jumped at the scream, and the music suddenly stopped. "Oh no!" Stingmon groaned. "Something's wrong!"<p>

"Rika!" Kari shouted again. "Keep playing!"

"What if she can't?" ExVeemon asked. "She could be hurt or in trouble!"

Kari ignored him. "Rika! Just close your eyes and play your violin! Don't worry about the singing part! Just play!"

In her dungeon, Rika managed to swallow hard, close her eyes, and resume her playing, forcing her ears to focus on the music instead of the terrible words still coming fast and strong.

Kari listened carefully to the music, and then pointed in a direction. The flying Digimon followed her point and flew off, listening to the music. Kari then began to clap the rhythm, and soon after she started singing. "I dreamed of living/ Alone but fearless/ Secret longing to be courageous/ Loneliness kept bottled up inside/ Just reveal your brave face,/ They'll never know you lied…."

As Kari sang, the other DigiDestined began to join in. At first, they started out timid. But steadily, their voices grew stronger until they echoed throughout the cavern, keeping perfect time with the violin.

* * *

><p>Rika could hear her friends singing, and she started feeling a little better than before. She opened her eyes and discovered herself back in the dungeon. Somehow, she felt a little braver, and she continued to play.<p>

Then, her violin suddenly shattered in her grip. She jumped, staring as the splinters and shreds of strings hit the ground and disappeared. Wind blew hard around her, swirling faster and faster like a hurricane. She fought to remain standing and keep the blackness at bay, but it began creeping up on her and forcing her to scream again.

* * *

><p>Kari's eyes locked on a swirling black tornado just ahead. "There! Come on, guys!"<p>

Nefertimon and Wizardmon shot ahead much faster than the others were prepared for, and they struggled to keep up. "What exactly is our plan when we get there?" Yolei called.

"We go in and save Rika!" Ken answered.

"But how?" Yolei asked. "And why haven't we been attacked before now?"

"Because this maze was never magical or anything like that!" T.K. called over the wind. "It's just a long, confusing maze meant to drive people insane when they try to escape! Whatever's happening to Rika is Arukenimon's work and we gotta help!"

"Nefertimon! Wizardmon!" Aquilamon called. "Slow down!"

But they didn't; instead, the two Digimon and the DigiDestined of Light plunged right into the tornado and disappeared. When the rest of the DigiDestined tried to follow, the winds grew harsher in seconds and pushed them all away no matter how hard they tried to get close.

"Now what?" Davis asked.

"We'll keep trying to get in." T.K. decided. "But if we can't, it's up to Kari, Nefertimon, and Wizardmon."

* * *

><p>The first shock came when Nefertimon realized she suddenly dedigivolved back to Gatomon. The second shock came when the three of them saw Rika. The raven-haired girl stood perfectly still, like a statue, and her entire body was encased in what looked like an oversized, pure black water drop.<p>

"Rika!" Wizardmon called, running towards her. But bolts of black lightning suddenly shot out and blasted Wizardmon back to Kari and Gatomon. "Oh, of course! Because this can never be easy!"

"Okay, no need to throw a fit." Gatomon soothed. "We just need to come up with a plan. She needs to know we're here to help her."

"She should've always known that." Wizardmon sighed in frustration. "She should've known if there was a problem then she could've come to someone for help. Why can't she realize that?"

"She doesn't need all of us." Kari said, staring at Rika. "This isn't normal anger or darkness consuming her; she thinks she's completely alone, and nothing's going to bring her out of it. She doesn't need a bunch of people telling her she belongs because she's deaf to it by now. She's unbalanced, so she needs the one thing that can balance her out."

"Like what?" Gatomon asked.

"Her twin." Kari said. Before Gatomon or Wizardmon could ask what she meant, Kari suddenly ran forward and jumped right through the black membrane around her friend, wrapping the girl in a tight hug. The blackness surrounded Kari and Rika, and suddenly it became so thick Wizardmon and Gatomon couldn't see either of them.

"Kari!" Gatomon screamed. "Come back!"

"How is it we got stuck with the crazy humans?" Wizardmon groaned.

* * *

><p>Kari looked around, discovering she floated in an empty black space. Then, her feet touched solid ground and she found herself in a playground next to what she assumed was a school. All around the room, elementary age students ran about, laughed, and talked.<p>

"This must be Rika's old school." Kari said to herself. She looked around the playground and spotted a face that stood out in the crowd of kids: an 8-year-old girl that looked identical to herself only with black hair, purple eyes, and thick-framed glasses. "That's Rika. Wow. We really _do _look alike. She even had the same hairstyle as me." She noticed Rika seemed to be having a standoff with a group of other girls who looked downright nasty. "Hmm. Maybe what I need to do to get through to Rika is get down to her level of thinking."

"You're such a little freak." The girl laughed. "You really think the great Sam Ichijōji would be interested in _you_?"

"He's more interested in me than he would ever be in _you_." Rika snapped. "At least I don't creep him out with my very presence!"

"Oh please!" the girl scoffed. "I'm the most beautiful and most amazing girl in this school! You may have the best grades and the talents, but you'll never be pretty in _anyone's _eyes!"

"As if you would know anything about beauty!" Rika shouted. "You take one look in a mirror and it shatters from your hideousness!"

The girl gasped, insulted. "You take that back!"

"Why don't you make me?" Rika taunted. The raven-haired 8-year-old dodged the shove from the girl and punched her arm, making her cry out in pain. She and her goons suddenly ran off, but not before she could throw one last jab.

"You'll never be worth anything!" the girl shouted as she ran. "Nobody will ever love you!"

Rika huffed, marching over to a tree away from the other children and sitting beneath it. She picked up a stick and began drawing in the dirt. "Who needs them? I don't need friends; I don't _want _friends. What are they good for, anyway? I'm better off alone." She stared at the kids playing on the playground for a moment before resuming her drawing. "I'm never going to be worth anything in their eyes. Not that I care. I don't need them. I don't need anyone." She angrily scribbled out her drawing. "I hate everyone."

"Hi there."

Rika gasped softly and raised her head to stare at the child who stopped in front of her. The girl was 8, just like her, wearing red shoes, white socks, pink shorts, a sleeveless yellow shirt, a pink neck scarf, and a whistle. She looked identical to Rika, but with mahogany colored eyes and brunette hair.

"Wow." Rika breathed. "You look just like me."

"And you look like me." The brunette child giggled. "What's your name?"

"Rika."

"Cool! My name's Kari."

"Hey! They're the same backwards!"

"That's pretty cool!"

Rika smiled a little, but her grin disappeared and she looked down. "Yeah, cool. Uh, what do you want?"

"Just wanted to know why you're sitting here alone." Kari shrugged.

"Because I have no friends." Rika replied simply.

"Oh." Kari seemed sad. "Well that's a little sad."

Rika huffed. "No way. I like being alone. Nobody likes me anyway."

"I like you." Kari said.

"You won't for long." Rika assured. "I'm too rough. I'm better at things than other people. I'm….different."

"So am I." Kari said. "Hey, since we already seem to have so much in common, why don't we be friends?"

Rika looked up in surprise. "You want to be my friend?"

"Yeah, why not?" Kari shrugged.

Rika narrowed her eyes. "Why do you want to be my friend? Because of who I am? I'm supposed to be the smartest, most talented kid in school."

"That's nice." Kari said. "But I just though you needed a friend. So I want to be your friend. Besides, we're already like twins because of how we look and act."

"But we're not twins." Rika said. "You are of the Light, and I'm the Darkness. We can never be friends."

Unbeknownst to them, the area around them began to disappear to darkness except for the tree and a twenty foot radius of grass around them. They hardly paid any attention as Kari knelt down to be in Rika's line of sight.

"You're wrong." Kari said. "It is _because _we are different that we're such good friends. We balance each other out. Remember that Yin-Yang symbol you love so much? Think of our friendship like that."

"I just don't know." Rika sighed. "How can we be friends if we're so different? I'll only bring you trouble. I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

The brunette shook her head. "Wherever there is Light, you will find Darkness, and where you find Darkness, there is Light. One cannot live without the other; so I can't live without you. I will always be there for you, Rika. And you'll always be there for me. When you get angry, I'll be the one to calm you down; when I start feeling hopeless, you will be the one to lift my spirits. That's how things have always worked and that's how they'll work now." She took Rika's hands in hers. "Nothing is going to change that. You have to believe me, because I didn't come all this way just to see you give up." She reached into her shirt collar and somehow pulled out her tag and Crest.

Rika stared at the Crest of Light for a moment before taking out her own Crest of Darkness. The two Crests began to glow brightly. "How can I be your friend when I cause you pain?"

"You only cause me pain when you're _not _around." Kari said. "I get so worried about you. You're the Guardian DigiDestined; you've protected me and the others for so long that you forgot to protect yourself and do things to make you happy. That's why I'm here. To make sure that doesn't happen again. Come on, Rika, you think I'd let _anyone _move in with me and my brother? You're a part of our family." She took Rika's hand and gave it a squeeze. "We belong together. We were destined to be like sisters. You can't say you don't think so."

Rika stared at Kari for a moment before glancing down at their glowing Crests. Then, her fingers closed around Kari's and she gave the brunette's hand a squeeze. "I do think so. And I am so thankful that we met because you made my life so much better. I never had a sister before, but I always wanted one."

Then swirling white clouds appeared in the darkness, and they built up and up before falling away to reveal a Digimon that towered over them. It looked like a white tiger, only with purple stripes, a purple and white mask, great black claws, black armor on his wrists, and a circle of golden orbs floating around its stomach. The tiger Digimon's four red eyes settled on the two girls as they stood up.

"Well done, Rika." The Digimon said. "You are finally advancing down the path to balance. The two of you are doing very well."

"What do you mean?" Rika asked.

"Yeah, and who are you?" Kari added.

"I am Baihumon, the Guardian of the Western Region of the Digital World." The white tiger Digimon introduced. "I am the Keeper of the Sphere of Darkness, once responsible for keeping the evil powers of darkness at bay so they did not destroy the Digital World. But when the struggle became too fierce even for me, the DigiDestined of Light and Darkness were created."

"Struggle?" Kari repeated. "What struggle?"

"Light and Dark have always fought against each other, one trying to be stronger than the other." Baihumon explained. "They became so wild that the DigiDestined of Light and Darkness were created to tame those forces. The two of you are very special: you have powers none of the other DigiDestined will ever know. You have the ability to absorb darkness and light within yourselves and use it. To weaponize against your enemies or bring peace for your friends. You are the tamers of Light and Dark. Your combined powers bring balance to our world and the worlds beyond. Though opposites, you are the same."

"So we really do keep the Light and Dark in balance." Rika said. "We keep the entire DigiWorld in balance."

"Not only that, but the balance of your world and all the other worlds." Baihumon corrected, beginning to disappear. "Keep faith, Rika Yamada, Guardian DigiDestined. Evil forces will try to convince you otherwise, but you cannot surrender to them. The fate of the Digital World rests on the DigiDestined's shoulders, but its safety rests on yours."

"Wait!" Rika called. "Don't leave yet! I still have questions!"

"You will find your answers soon enough." Baihumon assured. "Good luck!" His voice echoed to nothing as he finally disappeared. In the blink of an eye, Rika and Kari returned to their preteen ages. But they still stood in a dark emptiness. Kari looked to Rika, noticing the despaired look in her eyes. Kari sighed softly, stepping towards Rika.

Suddenly, Rika began screaming and holding her head. All around the two girls, harmful words aimed for Rika came without any signs of stopping. Kari could identify many voices, from Arukenimon to the DigiDestined, but many of the other voices seemed to belong to the girls that used to bully Rika at school. The hurtful words cut deep into Kari's soul, and she found it hard to believe that some people may have actually said that to Rika. To Rika, the blows felt like knives, causing her real, physical pain. She continued to scream and even began crying. Kari hurried to Rika and grabbed her shoulders.

"Rika!" Kari shook her friend a little. "Rika, don't listen to them! Don't listen to those voices! They're all wrong!"

"They're not wrong!" Rika sobbed. "I'm worthless and terrible and I don't deserve to be DigiDestined!"

"You can't believe them!" Kari ordered, shaking Rika again. "Listen to _me, _Rika. You're my best friend, my sister! We're not related in any way but I still think of us as twins! Please stop thinking your worthless because you're not! You're worth more to me than anything in the world!"

Rika stopped screaming, but tears kept streaming down her cheeks. "Kari, I know how much everyone cares about me. It's just hard. It's hard to accept everything that's happened to me. No matter how much I hide it or say it doesn't bother me, there are things that really _do _make me upset."

Kari smiled softly. "Really? I didn't notice." Light sarcasm laced her voice.

"I'm serious." Rika said. "I hate telling people what's wrong with me; I hardened my heart when I lost my family. But even if I can hide it from others, I can't kid myself. I miss my parents and grandparents. I hate being an orphan and feeling like I don't belong anywhere. I'm afraid you guys don't really accept me. I'm afraid Sorcermon will Dark Digivolve, or something might happen to him in general. He's my responsibility, and I already made mistakes with Wizardmon that I don't want to repeat."

Kari pulled Rika into a tight hug before the raven-haired girl could continue. "Don't you _ever _think that your friends don't accept you as you are. If someone doesn't accept you as you are, then they aren't your friends. We kept you in our group because we love you and want you to be with us. And if you think you're worried about Sorcermon, think about how he must feel? After serving Arukenimon for so long, all this that we've done must be so foreign to him. But he never gave up; he still doesn't give up, because he wants to stay with us and be your second partner. He wants to make you happy, that's all."

Rika pulled away, her tears finally stopped. "Well, he _does _make me happy. He's a great second partner."

"And you aren't really an orphan; you belong with us. If you're so worried about family, maybe I can fix that." Kari shrugged. "How about we tell Mom and Dad about you living in our apartment?"

Rika blinked. "Really?"

"Sure." Kari shrugged. "I mean, we can't tell them about our Digimon yet, but I'm sure they'd love to finally know I have a roommate living in my closet."

Rika giggled a little; Kari did too. Then, the voices around them stopped even though they didn't even hear them before. A loud, booming voice rang out in the darkness, easily recognized as Arukenimon.

"_You pitiful little pest." _Arukenimon laughed. _"You think all she says is true? She's the DigiDestined of Light, and you of Darkness. You were meant to be enemies. In the end, you will destroy her and the entire Digital World because of what you stand for."_

Rika's fists clenched and she let out a frustrated shout. "_No I'm not! _I am not the darkness that destroys the Digital World. I'm the darkness that keeps the world in balance. It's not a job I asked for; it was pushed onto me. But I'll keep fighting and keep upholding this balance because I'll always have my friends by my side." She took Kari's hand. "She is the DigiDestined of Light; I am the Guardian DigiDestined of Darkness. Together, we keep the balance of our homes intact: Kari's home in the Real World and mine in the DigiWorld. It's a balance we'll always keep. And it's a balance you will not tamper with!"

Suddenly, twin lights appeared on Rika's and Kari's backs, and they turned to see a pair of glowing, feathery wings sprouted from their shoulder blades: Rika's pitch black like her hair and Kari's pure white like a full moon.

"Wings." Rika breathed. "They're beautiful, even mine."

"They're angel wings, Rika." Kari said. "That must mean that we're angels too: angels of light and darkness. One can't live without the other."

Rika smiled warmly, giving Kari's hand a squeeze. "Yeah."

* * *

><p>Wizardmon and Gatomon gasped when they saw their human partners begin to glow. Their bodies became outlined in a golden glow and bright pairs of wings appeared on their backs. The wizard and cat Digimon suddenly tensed up, bright lights surrounding them.<p>

"Uh, I feel very strange." Wizardmon said nervously.

"Yeah, me too." Gatomon agreed.

A white beam of light shot from Kari, and a black beam from Rika, straight towards their respective Digimon.

"_Wizardmon Warp Digivolve to…Beelzemon!"_

"_Gatomon Warp Digivolve to…Ophanimon!"_

The dark cloud around Kari and Rika disappeared, but their wings remained as they stared at their Digivolved Digimon.

Beelzemon, a Demon Lord Digimon, stood tall and proud, wearing what looked like biker gear with some metal armor on his arm and boots. Attached to one boot was a pistol in a holster. His right arm was encased in a huge gun that looked more like a small cannon. A red sash wrapped around his left bicep and bushy fur trimmed his jacket collar. He wore a purple mask with three eyeholes for each of his eyes: his two normal eyes and a third where his forehead would be. His blonde hair came out the back of the mask, an armored tail sprouted from behind him, and a pair of large black wings sprouted from his back.

Ophanimon, an Angel Digimon, stood just as tall as Beelzemon, wearing an ankle-length skirt and armor for a shirt that stopped midriff. More armor rested over her skirt. She carried an ornate blue and gold shield in one hand and a long golden spear with wing decorations in the other. She wore a helmet like Angewomon, this one blue with a golden star shape and a bull, eagle, and lion head shape on the top, letting her golden and red hair flow down her back. Eight golden wings graced her back.

"Whoa." Kari breathed.

"You guys look awesome." Rika said.

"Speak for yourself." Beelzemon laughed. "Who know you two were really angels in disguise?"

"The Angels of Light and Darkness." Ophanimon sighed. "So wonderful."

"But look at _you _guys!" Kari said excitedly. "Are these your Mega forms?"

"You bet." Ophanimon nodded.

Beelzemon looked down at himself. "Huh…I like it. What do you think, Rika?"

Rika smiled. "I think you look great."

Beelzemon kneeled down to Rika's eye level. "Are you all right, imōto-chan?"

Rika sighed heavily, then lunged forward and hugged Beelzemon. "No, you dumb blonde. But I will be after some ice cream."

Beelzemon, Ophanimon, and Kari laughed. "What do you say we get out of here?" Ophanimon suggested. "I don't know how long Beelzemon and I will be in Mega form."

"But how?" Rika asked.

"We'll take care of it." Beelzemon assured, lifting Rika and helping her climb onto his back to hang onto his shoulders. Ophanimon did the same for Kari. "Ready, Ophanimon?"

"Let's go!" Ophanimon nodded. The two of them spread their wings and took off upwards. Beelzemon took his pistol from its holster and twirled it in his hand before firing it multiple times into the ceiling, destroying it and giving them a clear shot to the rest of the maze.

"There they are!" Sorcermon called, pointing to the flying Digimon. "And they have….wings?"

"Hey guys!" T.K. called as they flew over. "Rika, Kari, who are these guys? And why do you two have wings?"

"It's a long story." Rika said. "But we'll explain later. Guys, this is Beelzemon and Ophanimon, Wizardmon and Gatomon in the Warp Digivolved forms."

"Wow!" Ken breathed. "You guys look amazing!"

"Thanks!" Beelzemon smiled. "Now stay close and keep your wits about you, because we're blasting out of here. Quite literally."

Beelzemon and Ophanimon looked up, taking aim at the cavern ceiling. Ophanimon's weapons disappeared and bright lights appeared in her hands. Beelzemon prepared his cannon arm.

"_Oblivion Cannon!" _Beelzemon fired a great green blast.

"_Sefirot Crystal!" _Ophanimon created ten crystals and sent them off in a powerful blast.

The two blasts combined into one and crashed into the ceiling, sending rocks raining down and into the labyrinth. The DigiDestined shot up and out of the cavern and into the clear night air, flying away from the labyrinth until it was out of sight.

* * *

><p>When the DigiDestined returned to the Real World, they split off to return to their respective homes and get some rest after an eventful evening. But they made a promise to meet up again one weekend and hang out, giving Rika the deciding choice on where to go. At the moment, Beelzemon and Ophanimon dedigivolved to Kiimon and Nyaromon respectively. They sat with Sorcermon, dressed in his human clothes, on a bench near the Kamiya apartment and waited for Kari, Tai, or Rika to tell them it was okay for them to come up. Tai and Kari took Rika up to tell their parents the truth about her.<p>

"I'm worried about them." Kiimon said. "They've been gone for a long time." He heard a small snort, and he sighed. "What is it now?"

Sorcermon choked back a laugh. "Um, Kiimon, do you hear yourself when you speak in this form?"

Kiimon frowned. "Yes, and I am perfectly aware of how squeaky I sound."

Nyaromon giggled. "You sound so adorable!"

"Hey, you're voice goes high-pitched too when in your Baby form." Kiimon huffed.

"Technically, this is my In-Training form." Nyaromon said. "And don't be sheepish about your voice. You sound so cute!"

"I do not!" Kiimon snapped.

Sorcermon laughed a little, fighting to keep them back. "Kiimon, I apologize, but I'm afraid you cannot deny that you sound and look very cute."

Kiimon sunk down onto the bench, his face burning. "Oh shut up."

"Buck up." Nyaromon said. "Now that you're this small, you can pretend to be a stuffed animal."

"Yippee…." Kiimon groaned.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure about this?" Rika asked nervously as they made their way to the Kamiya residence. "What if your parents freak out?"<p>

"They won't." Tai assured.

"Yeah, have more confidence in yourself." Kari said.

Rika took a breath. "Okay…" They kept walking, each step giving Rika more and more knots in her stomach. But she kept on, keeping a steady pace with Kari and Tai on either side of her.

"Okay guys, we're here." Tai said, sticking his key in the lock. "Ready Rika?"

Rika sighed. "As I'll ever be."

Tai nodded and opened the door. "Mom! We're home!"

"Welcome back guys!" Mrs. Kamiya called.

"Hey guys!" Mr. Kamiya greeted, waving from the couch. "Hello girl named Rika who looks so much like Kari. Why is that, anyway?"

"That's just a coincidence." Tai said. "Or maybe even destiny. But that's beside the point. Mom, Dad, Kari and I have something to tell you."

That caught the adults' attention, and the five of them gathered on the couches to talk. Kari and Tai tried to tell the full truth, but they had to bend a few things. They told their parents how they met Rika in the forest during one of their camping trips, and how they invited her to stay at their house because she didn't have a home. They told how she managed to sneak in when their parents either weren't looking or after they fell asleep, and how she slept in Kari's closet. They also told their parents how badly they didn't want to call the orphanage, and Rika added that she would gladly do housework or errands in return to letting her stay.

"She's become a regular part of the family, even when you didn't know it." Kari finished. "We really want her to stay with us."

"We're sorry for not telling you." Tai added. "But we didn't know how you'd react. Only now, we're tired of hiding it. Please let her stay here."

Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya didn't respond for a while. "Taichi and Hikari Kamiya." Mrs. Kamiya said, using her children's full names when using her stern, scolding voice. "You two should know that this is absolutely unacceptable."

"Your mother is right." Mr. Kamiya nodded. "You should be ashamed of yourselves."

Tai, Kari, and Rika bowed their heads, feeling dread hang over their heads.

"How could you force the great Rika Yamada to sleep in your closet?" Mr. Kamiya huffed.

The kids looked up in surprise, all of them saying "Huh?" at once.

"Never mind that she's the child genius Rika Yamada!" Mrs. Kamiya said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "The fact that we've had such a kind young girl living with us and she's been forced to live in secret! Now, maybe if you told us at the beginning of all this, we probably wouldn't have completely agreed with it. But after everything you've told us now, it's clear what we have to do."

"Uh…..it is?" Rika asked.

"Rika, consider yourself a part of this family." Mr. Kamiya assured. "I think we have an old cot lying around here. The mattress should be clean and at least it'll be better than sleeping on the floor of that closet. You can move in to Kari's room if you want, because I'm sure you don't want to room with Tai."

Rika giggled a little. "I would appreciate rooming with Kari, thank you."

"Great." Mr. Kamiya nodded, walking off. "I'll get some bedding and get the cot ready."

"I'll heat up some of the minestrone I made for dinner." Mrs. Kamiya hurried to the kitchen. "You need a hot meal because I'm sure Kari and Tai have been sneaking you your meals this entire time. And we need to enroll you in school; maybe you can start next year with Kari. Tomorrow you and I will go shopping for new clothes; I bet that's the only set of non-pajama clothes you own."

"I wish you wouldn't go to the trouble." Rika said. "I don't need much."

"Nonsense." Mrs. Kamiya waved it off, turning on the stove to heat up the food. "You need new clothes to match your new home. The bath is down the hall, which you probably knew already. Take a shower or bath if you need it and you're welcome to anything in the fridge and if you need rides anywhere—" She gasped softly when Rika's arms suddenly wrapped around her stomach, and she smiled as she returned the hug.

"Thank you." Rika's voice was muffled a little by Mrs. Kamiya's apron. "Thank you for accepting me into your family."

* * *

><p>Sorcermon tiptoed down the hallway, looking over his shoulder a few times to make sure Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya slept. He finally reached Kari's bedroom door and knocked softly.<p>

Rika answered and smiled, whispering, "Hey Sorcermon. What's up?"

"I brought you something." Sorcermon held up Rika's violin case. "You left it at the picnic table when you ran off, and then you were kidnapped. I've been holding it for a while."

Rika sighed sadly, taking the instrument case. "Thanks Sorcermon. You're a good friend."

Sorcermon tipped his hat in thanks and turned to leave. But he turned back to look at Rika. "I will always be there for you, Rika. Okay?"

Rika stared at Sorcermon for a moment before smiling warmly. "Thank you, Sorcermon. I'll always be there for you too." She closed the door and disappeared into the bedroom. Sorcermon smiled under his cowl, a little skip in his step as he returned to Tai's room.

"What're you so happy about?" Tai asked as Sorcermon climbed up to the top bunk.

Sorcermon shrugged. "Just happy that I have such talent in magic." He disappeared, and Tai just shrugged.

"Sorcermon returned my violin case to me." Rika announced, resting on her cot.

"That was nice of him." Kari said.

"Yeah." Rika sighed. "But Mummymon totally destroyed my violin, so I don't know if I'll keep the case around." She rubbed the black case. "That violin belonged to my grandmother; she gave it to me for my eighth birthday."

Kari sat beside Rika. "You know, I saw Sorcermon picking up the pieces of the violin when we were coming after you. Maybe we can glue it together or something."

"Thanks Kari." Rika said, opening her case. "But that thing's shattered. It'll never be like it—" She stopped talking, her eyes wide with disbelief and shock. When she didn't say anything for several seconds, Kari took the lid and opened the case the entire way. She, too, stared in shock. But both of them felt happiness swell within them, and they immediately ran into Tai's room to hug Sorcermon as tight as they could.

The violin rested in its case, looking as though it was never broken.


	38. A Very Digi-Christmas

**A/N: Merry Christmas guys! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Episode 38: A Very Digi-Christmas<strong>

"_V Laser!"_

"_Grand Horn!"_

"_Tail Hammer!"_

"_Star Shower!"_

"_Rosetta Stone!"_

"_Spiking Strike!"_

"_Thunder Ball!"_

"_Crystal Barrage!"_

"Yeah! We rule!" Davis cheered. "Take that Control Spires!"

The DigiDestined found great pleasure in destroying the remaining Control Spires in the Digital World. Not only did it help Azulongmon and the other Digimon Sovereigns regain their powers, it became a popular hobby for when they wanted to relieve stress or just take time to destroy stuff. In the past month or so, they managed to take down every Control Spire left in the DigiWorld. Sorcermon felt a little guilty about destroying the things that helped give him life, but he quickly got used to idea when Rika mentioned how irritated Arukenimon would be when she found out. The ice Majin long since grew accustomed to living in secrecy in the Kamiya residence and fighting alongside the DigiDestined. Unfortunately, he and Wizardmon hadn't figured out how to DNA Digivolve; turns out, they really didn't need to yet. No major threats had arisen since Rika's kidnapping incident. For now, Sorcermon and Wizardmon remained content with how they currently fought, whether it was taking down a rogue Digimon or destroying Control Spires.

When the Digimon finished their destruction of the spires, the DigiDestined took some time to celebrate. Ken joined in for a moment before stepping aside to gather his thoughts. Luckily, Sorcermon caught everyone's attention with a new magic trick he'd been learning and Ken could think. He reached into his pocket and took a hold of an envelope he held all day.

"I never thought I'd have friends like this, Wormmon." Ken said. "I mean, not as close as Rika."

"Don't tell me. Tell them." Wormmon encouraged.

"But what if they don't want to come to my party?" Ken asked nervously.

"Of course they will." Wormmon assured.

"Ken! Get over here and join us!" Davis called as he jogged over. He noticed Ken fingering something in his pocket. "Hey, whatcha got there?" He kept leaning to try and see it, but Ken kept the green envelope behind his back. "Aw, come on, Ken!"

_This Christmas party was a bad idea. _Ken thought as he started bringing the envelope around. _I should forget the whole thing. But what am I going to do with all that eggnog?_

"Hey guys!" Davis called to the others. "Ken's got something to show everybody!"

_Thanks a lot, Davis. _Ken mentally groaned. _Great. No pressure._

"Come on, guys!" Davis called again. "Gather around!"

"Don't suffocate the poor boy." Rika laughed as everyone but Cody and Armadillomon came over.

Ken looked around, his anxiety growing but forcing himself to lift up the invitation. "I…..request the honor of your presence at a holiday celebration…that is…."

"Say no more!" T.K. interrupted with a smile. "If you're having a Christmas party, we're in!"

"Hey Ken." Veemon piped up shyly. "Can we come?"

"Of course!" Ken nodded. "Maybe you'll even catch Gatomon under the mistletoe." Everyone laugh, save for Gatomon and Sorcermon.

"Only in your wildest dreams." Gatomon huffed.

Sorcermon scratched his head. "I do not understand. What is mistletoe?" Even with all the knowledge he gathered about the Real World, there were some things Sorcermon still didn't understand.

"It's a very strange Real World plant." Wizardmon explained. "I'm not sure how it works, but somehow it makes two people kiss when they stand beneath it."

Sorcermon blinked in surprise. "Does it work?"

"Almost every time from what I've seen before." Wizardmon said. "I'm thinking about sending some to a couple Majin I know trying to make love potions." This caused another round of laughter from the kids, leaving the two Majin even more confused.

Ken looked towards Cody, the young boy's face unreadable. _It looks like Cody still hates me. Well, here it goes._

Cody stared as Ken approached him. _It looks like Ken still hates me. Well, here he comes._

Ken stopped in front of Cody and held out an invitation. "Here you go, Cody. You're invited too."

Cody stared for a moment before smiling. "Really? I'm glad that I made your list!"

Ken smiled, relieved to know Cody didn't hold anything against him now. "Hey guys!" Rika called them all to attention. "I was thinking we could do a Secret Santa Gift Exchange. You know, just between us DigiDestined."

"Sounds fun." Yolei nodded. "I'm about to start my Christmas shopping soon."

"It's getting a little late for that." Hawkmon noted.

"So let's get the names out now while we have a moment." Rika suggested.

"I have a notebook in my bag." Yolei said, pulling out the paper and pen. Everyone wrote their name down and tossed the strips of paper in T.K.'s hat. Then, each child and Digimon took a name and tucked the paper in their pockets before returning to their homes to prepare.

Sorcermon kept rubbing the pocket he tucked his paper in. "I don't know about this."

"It's just a simple gift exchange." Rika assured.

"Yeah, and we set a Yen limit so nobody feels pressured to get anything extravagant." Kari added.

"It's just, I've never given a gift before." Sorcermon said. "I don't know anything about this."

"Don't worry, we'll help you out." Rika said. "Tomorrow we're going to browse around the mall; maybe you'll find your gift there."

"It's worth a shot." Wizardmon said.

Sorcermon took a breath. "If you say so."

Wizardmon playfully shoved his twin. "Stop being so nervous."

"Easy for you to say." Sorcermon muttered.

* * *

><p>Per Rika's suggestion, she, Kari, and their Digimon visited the mall to walk around and do some shopping. The freezing winter air required them to dress warmly, and Mrs. Kamiya bought Rika black thermal pants, boots, and a warm yet tight-fitting red coat to wear over her shirt. Gatomon sat cradled in Kari's arms while they walked. Sorcermon kept pausing to stare at everything, so much that Wizardmon rolled his eyes and became forced to drag the disguised ice Majin behind him. Luckily, he soon became focused on shopping for his Secret Santa recipient and didn't need to be dragged around.<p>

As they perused around one of the girls' favorite stores, Wizardmon soon found himself very bored. _What is it with girls and their bows and jewelry and shiny, sparkly things? _He sighed. _They're like Floramon on a pollen high._

"Um, Wizardmon?" Sorcermon piped up, pulling Wizardmon from his thoughts. "What exactly should I be looking for?"

"Is your Secret Santa recipient a girl?" Wizardmon asked. Upon receiving a nod, he said, "Jewelry always seems to catch their eye. I made Rika a necklace for her birthday and she loved it."

Sorcermon nodded, moving around the store and scanning the shelves. But although he saw a myriad of necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, and more, nothing stood out to him. Except for one thing…..

"Hey Kanta!" Rika called. "You coming?"

Sorcermon stared at the necklace for a moment before jogging after the girls. They resumed their walk through the mall, the girls chatting and laughing. Sorcermon kept staring at everything, especially captivated by the brightly lit Christmas tree in the center of the mall.

"Free sample?" a vendor offered, holding out a tray covered in pieces of brown pastry with colorful candies on top. "It's homemade fruitcake, specially made by the American recipe."

Nobody took a sample except Sorcermon, who examined the pastry piece as they kept walking. He seemed very curious about the fruitcake, sniffing it a few times and looking it over.

"I wouldn't, Sorcermon." Rika warned. "Fruitcake is supposed to taste disgusting."

"Well, it's a cake." Sorcermon shrugged. "How bad could it be?" He lifted his bandana and popped the cake piece in his mouth. The others watched as he chewed for a moment, and then he made a face of pure disgust.

"That bad, huh?" Gatomon guessed.

Sorcermon ran to the nearest trash can and spit out the sample. "I'd rather take Arukenimon's whippings than eat that stuff."

Wizardmon sighed in nostalgia. "I remember my first piece of fruitcake. Almost threw up."

Rika giggled. "Come on. Let's get some ice cream to wash that down."

"I very much approve of that idea." Sorcermon agreed. They moved to the food court nearby and found an ice cream shop.

"Pick your favorite, guys." Kari said. "I'm buying."

"Really? Thanks." Rika said gratefully. "And Wizardmon, you better order something this time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Wizardmon demanded.

"You never accept anything when someone else offers it." Rika said. "It gets really annoying."

"You would think so." Wizardmon rolled his eyes and looking around. "What if I just don't feel like—" He froze, his eyes widening and his irises and pupils constricting. _No…no it can't be! Not here! Not now! _His gaze focused on a single individual out of the dozens of people in the mall, standing outside the window across the room: a tall man with pitch black hair and grey skin, dressed in a long purple coat. Though his outfit changed and his hair grew longer, Wizardmon could tell by his aura just who the man was. _After all this time…..he's back… _His eyes settled on the woman the man spoke to, and he inhaled sharply. _That's T.K.'s mother!_

"All I'm saying is you might as well enjoy something sweet once in a while." Rika said, turning to face her Digimon. "It's not gonna kill you to—" She paused when she noticed a lack of Wizardmon. "Ukito? Ukito! Wizardmon!"

Kari, Gatomon, and Sorcermon finally seemed to notice Wizardmon's disappearance. "Where'd he go?" Kari asked, albeit worriedly.

"There he is!" Gatomon pointed to Wizardmon as he sprinted off through the mall.

"Hey!" Rika called as she and the others gave chase. "Wizardmon! Slow down!"

"Where are you going?" Sorcermon called.

* * *

><p>Ms. Takaishi certainly didn't expect to see Oikawa Yukio today. She tried to be civil and hide the fact that she felt very uneasy by his presence. The man had this habit of creeping people out very easily, and it was unclear whether or not his actions were intentional. At first, it started out as a simple conversation. But then, he started talking about the Odaiba fog incident from four years ago, and suddenly her anxiety rose to new levels.<p>

"I'm afraid this current monster problem is related." Oikawa continued. "In fact, it's only just the beginning."

That last comment caught Ms. Takaishi off-guard. "What do you mean by that? 'Only just the beginning'?"

"You'll find out." Oikawa said mysteriously. "In the meantime you should be careful of who you let your sons play with."

Now _that _comment made Ms. Takaishi _very _scared. "My sons? What do you know about T.K. and Matt?"

"Actually," Oikawa said with an almost sinister tone. "I know everything, my dear."

"Hey! Leave her alone!"

Oikawa turned and Ms. Takaishi looked past him to see a young teenage boy with blonde hair and piercing green eyes, the only thing that wasn't covered by the bandana on his face. He panted a little heavily, but locked a hard glare on Oikawa. _That boy….he hangs out with T.K. sometimes. _Ms. Takaishi realized.

"Ah, if it isn't Ukito." Oikawa mused. "It's been a long time."

"Just leave her alone!" Wizardmon snapped. "You lay a hand on her and I'll—"

"Lay a hand on her?" Oikawa repeated, as though amused by the thought. "I think you're mistaken. You've been running again, haven't you? The lack of air must be getting to your brain."

Wizardmon was about to snap at him again when he felt that same invisible force constricting his throat, only much tighter this time than any other before. He clutched his throat, gasping for breath, and fell to his knees. Ms. Takaishi gasped in shock. "What are you doing to him?"

"Nothing, of course." Oikawa lied. "His asthma must be acting up again. Isn't that right, Ukito?"

Wizardmon glared at Oikawa, fighting to breathe properly. "Onīsan!" Rika called as she, Kari, and Sorcermon ran up to him. The raven-haired girl knelt by Wizardmon's side, unsure what to do. "Are you okay? Why'd you run off like that?"

"He must've confused me for someone else." Oikawa said, catching their attention. "You really shouldn't let him run like that; it seems to put quite the strain on his asthma."

Gatomon's ears went flat as she stared at the man, something in her stomach telling her he was no good. Rika narrowed her eyes a little, instantly getting a bad feeling about the man before her. But before she could say anything, Sorcermon knelt beside Wizardmon. "He's right, Ukito. You shouldn't run like that or your asthma gets worse." He looked to Oikawa. "Thank you for your concern; we'll take care of it from here."

Oikawa turned and walked off. "Enjoy the holidays." He said cryptically. "It's the most wonderful time of the year."

Ms. Takaishi spun around, but found no sight of Oikawa. "He's gone."

"Good riddance." Wizardmon spat, finally able to breathe normally.

"He was doing something to you, wasn't he?" Ms. Takaishi asked.

Wizardmon kept his head down. "It's nothing really."

The blonde woman knelt down in front of Wizardmon, staring at him for a moment before pulling down his bandana to stare at the thread over his mouth. Even when the Majin pulled the cloth back up, it was too late.

"It's okay, guys." Kari assured. "Ms. Takaishi knows all about Digimon and the DigiWorld."

Ms. Takaishi looked to Rika and her Digimon. "You're one of those DigiDestined children, aren't you?"

Rika nodded. "My name's Rika. These are my Digimon: Sorcermon and Wizardmon."

Ms. Takaishi stared at Wizardmon for a moment. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Fine." Wizardmon quickly stood up to prove his point, fighting the dizziness from standing up too fast.

"Then I want you all to do me a favor." Ms. Takaishi rose to her feet and stared at the girls and their Digimon. "I don't know what kind of danger is threatening you, but I want you to protect T.K. and Matt for me. Please."

"Don't worry, Ms. Takaishi." Kari assured. "We always look out for one another. Besides, they can take care of themselves, and Patamon's always there for them."

"Just keep an eye on them." Ms. Takaishi requested. "Please. I worry about them."

Rika smiled warmly. "Not a problem. We'll look out for your sons."

Ms. Takaishi nodded in thanks and bid them farewell as they walked off. But worry became etched in her face. _What have the boys gotten themselves mixed up in now? I thought all that Digital World stuff was over with. Now the danger starts all over again._

* * *

><p>"Davis! Yoo-hoo! It's me, Agumon!" the yellow dinosaur Digimon called as the original DigiDestined Digimon ran up to the second generation kids.<p>

"Merry Christmas!" Davis called.

"What's 'Christmas'?" Agumon asked.

"It means you're going to be the best present the original DigiDestined ever got!" Davis announced.

The Digimon cheered happily, but Palmon seemed sad. "What about me? Mimi's in America!"

"Don't worry, Palmon." Kari assured. "We wouldn't let everybody join up with their partners and leave you out."

"Oh! I can't wait to see Mimi!" Palmon gushed happily.

"How are we getting her to America again?" Rika asked as they walked through the woods. "Mimi lives all the way in New York City."

"It'll be a snap." Yolei assured. "We'll open up a portal from the Digital World that'll drop Palmon off right in the middle of downtown U S of A. Say 'hi' to Mimi for me. And when you come back, see if she'll let me borrow that pink blouse I love so much!"

Palmon happily agreed, but her excitement turned to confusion and some nervousness when the human children suddenly put her in a large sack. "Hey. What's this?"

"Just buckle up and hold on tight!" Rika teased as Yolei and Davis pulled the back shut.

"Don't worry!" Davis called. Despite Palmon's slight protests, the TV nearby sucked her through the portal and plopped her right in Mimi's room, where the brunette slept peacefully.

"Okay guys, now it's your turn." Yolei announced.

"But don't worry." Cody added. "You won't have to get in the bags until after we get to the Real World."

"I'm not sure how I feel about being stuffed in a sack." Tentomon said, a little nervously.

"Oh it's only for a little while." Rika waved it off. "Come on; let's get going."

* * *

><p>"Let me out of here, Davis!" Agumon groaned. "I know I'm supposed to be a present, but did you have to giftwrap me?"<p>

Davis shushed him quickly. "You'll ruin the surprise, Agumon. Wait until I give you the signal." The second generation DigiDestined stood behind a couple large sacks tied with large red bows, with the original DigiDestined standing before them. The younger children could hardly keep it in anymore, and Davis finally called, "Now!"

"Surprise!" Agumon cried as the Digimon jumped out, much to the surprise of their trainers.

"Whoa! Agumon, no way!" Tai laughed.

"Gabumon!" Matt hugged his Digimon tightly.

"Good to see you, Izzy!" Tentomon greeted.

"Gomamon, don't squeeze so hard!" Joe laughed. "I'll get a cramp!"

"I think they like their present!" DemiVeemon said happily.

"Just call me Davis Claus." Davis said.

"Just what I wanted." Sora said. "How'd you know?"

"A little Birdy-mon told us." Yolei joked.

"This is nice." Cody said. "Christmas is a time for families to get together."

"Well this is the best Christmas present I've ever gotten." Tai said, the others agreeing.

"Yeah, really awesome. You guys wanna come to my concert tonight?" Matt offered. "I can reserve the tickets for you."

"Thanks, but Ken invited us to a Christmas party for tonight." Kari said. "Good luck, though!"

"You guys just enjoy your day together with your Digimon." T.K. said. "Mom's kind of dragging me Christmas shopping with her."

"My mom needs help cleaning the house." Yolei added.

"Early kendo practice." Cody piped up.

"And I got a date with Kari!" Davis boasted.

"In your dreams." Kari smirked.

"Actually, Kari's coming with me for a while." Rika announced.

"What, do _you _two have a date?" Davis huffed.

Rika didn't answer, her smile faltering. But Wizardmon didn't hesitate to smack Davis upside the head. "For your information, we're going to visit Rika's family grave."

Everyone fell silent. "Oh…" Joe cleared his throat nervously. "Um, would you like us to come with you?"

"Nah." Rika waved it off. "It's just something I wanted to do with Tai, Kari, and our Digimon. Introduce my old family to my new one kind of thing. But on the anniversary of the fire, you definitely need to come with me."

"Are you sure?" Sora asked.

"Yes." Rika said firmly. "Come on, guys. Let's go now so we have the rest of the day free." She started walking off with Wizardmon beside her, forcing Sorcermon, Kari, Gatomon, Tai, and Agumon to hurry after her.

"Even after what happened with Arukenimon kidnapping her, she still keeps her emotions to herself." Yolei noted sadly.

"It's something that's been a part of her personality for a long time." Joe said. "It won't be easy to change."

* * *

><p>Nobody save for Wizardmon and Rika knew what to expect when they arrived at the cemetery where the Yamada family grave rested. They only watched as Rika approached the tombstone with a bouquet of roses, which she set upon the stone and then folded her hands in prayer. Wizardmon bowed in respect, an action soon mimicked by the others.<p>

Then, Rika stood up straight and smiled warmly. "Hey Mom, Dad, Ojīsan, Obāsan. I know, Wizardmon and I are really early for our usual meeting we have every year. But I have great news; actually, two pieces of great news." She took Sorcermon's hand and pulled him forward to stand beside her. "This is Sorcermon. He's my second Digimon partner and newest older brother. He's still a little new to the whole 'Real World' thing, but he learns fast. He's pretty awesome at what he does, and I've named him after cousin Kanta. Say hello, Sorcermon."

Sorcermon, feeling a little awkward, waved shyly to the tombstone. "Um…hello, Rika's family…..uh….I just want you to know that I'll always be there for your daughter. I'm going to protect her no matter what and be the best Digimon partner I can be."

"And I'm not living in the DigiWorld anymore." Rika added, turning to Tai and Kari. "That's Tai and Kari Kamiya, and their Digimon partners Agumon and Gatomon. They've accepted me into their home and their family, so you know I'm going to be okay. They're DigiDestined, just like me." She took Kari's hand and pulled her forward while Sorcermon and Wizardmon stepped back to Tai, Agumon, and Gatomon. Rika gave Kari's hand a squeeze. "Did you know I'm also known as the Guardian DigiDestined? It's pretty cool, and it's the reason I have Sorcermon for a second partner. I'm still the DigiDestined of Darkness, but don't worry; it doesn't mean I'm evil. And when I really need help, I'll always have Kari here to help me. She's the DigiDestined of Light…and she's also the light to my darkness that I've waited for for a long time. She's my best friend, my twin, and we'll always look out for each other."

Kari stared at Rika for a moment before turning to the tombstone. "I promise I'll always be her friend. We're like sisters, and we'll stick together through thick and thin."

"We all will." Tai said, he and the Digimon coming up behind the girls. "We're a family, and nothing's going to change that."

They stayed there for several moments before moving on into the city. "Well, we've got some time before Ken's party and the concert." Kari noted. "What do you guys want to do?"

"I was actually going to head over to see Matt before the concert." Tai said. "You know, give him a pep talk and whatnot."

"Mind if I tag along?" Rika requested. "I want to talk to Matt about something."

"Sure." Tai nodded.

"Meanwhile, I'm going home to prepare for the party." Kari announced.

"And I want a catnap." Gatomon added.

Tai turned and looked up, smirking. "Gatomon! Wizardmon! Freeze!"

The two mentioned Digimon went rigid, simultaneously yelping "What?!"

Tai struggled to hold back his laughs. "Look up." The two of them obeyed, noticing a green plant with white berries hanging off a sign of a nearby store. This time, Kari and Rika struggled to keep back their laughter. Tai couldn't keep it in at all, holding his stomach from laughing so hard. "Y-you know the rules!" He howled with laughter. "Pucker up, you two!"

Gatomon and Wizardmon were far from amused, their faces red with anger and embarrassment. Wizardmon looked around before throwing a small Thunder Ball from his palm, catching Tai's shoe on fire. The teen jumped all around, yelping and shouting in terror while Wizardmon just smirked under his bandana.

* * *

><p>Sora stared at the door to backstage, the box in her arms feeling like it weighed two tons. She really wanted to see Matt again, seeing how both of them were so busy lately that they couldn't meet up like they used to. But she didn't know how to properly approach him, so she used the best method she knew how: bringing sweets. Her mother once told her the best way to a man was through his stomach, only Sora didn't realize just how literal she would be taking the piece of wisdom. After a moment, she decided to break the silence.<p>

"Wow. This is so exciting!" Sora said, hiding her nervousness with happiness. "People are already lining up for Matt's concert!"

Biyomon could sense her partner's nervousness. "Don't worry, Sora. We'll be sure to get good seats. Especially once you give him these homemade cookies!"

"I hope." Sora murmured, her stomach doing more flips than a gymnast.

"Sora, wait up!" Tai called as he, Rika, and their Digimon showed up.

Sora seemed surprised to see Tai, and her stomach began twisting into tighter knots. "Oh, Tai….." She shrunk down a little, wishing the ground would just swallow her up. Both Matt and Tai pined for her affection quite a few times, and when she admitted to Tai that she was leaning more towards Matt things started getting awkward. It didn't impede on their friendship, but moments like these made them both a little nervous.

"Something smells good!" Agumon broke the tension with the happy comment.

The door then opened and Gabumon appeared, eyeing the prettily wrapped box in Sora's arms. "Matt's busy getting ready. But I'll take those to him!"

"I bet you will! No way!" Biyomon scolded. "You'll eat the whole thing yourself!"

"Why, I resent that." Gabumon tried to sound insulted. "I'm on a diet!"

"Would you both stop it already?" Rika laughed. "They're just cookies."

"So, um, Sora?" Tai piped up nervously. "Are you going to the concert with anybody? I mean, not that it matters to me….just wondering…."

"Is this how most humans ask one another for a night out?" Sorcermon asked innocently, causing Sora and Tai to blush.

"I'll explain it later." Rika elbowed Sorcermon's ribs.

"No." Sora said, answering Tai's question. "I wanna be available in case Matt is free afterwards." She giggled nervously, her blush deepening.

"Oh, I see." Tai tried his best (but still failed) to keep the disappointment from his voice. "Matt, huh?"

_I knew I shouldn't have said anything. _Sora thought, berating herself.

"Uh, hey Sora." Rika piped up. "Wizardmon, Sorcermon, and I would like to join you when you go see Matt; I want to talk to him about something."

"Uh, okay." Sora nodded aimlessly, still staring at Tai.

The wild-haired boy smiled and put a hand on Sora's shoulder. "It's okay."

"You're not mad at me, Tai?" Sora asked.

"No, of course not." Tai assured hurriedly. "Now get in there and say 'hi' to Matt for me."

"Thanks Tai." Sora said, sounding genuinely grateful.

"The least you could do is leave us the cookies!" Agumon whined.

Sora giggled. "Tell you what: I'll make some special ones for you." She disappeared into the building, followed by Biyomon, Rika, Wizardmon, and Sorcermon.

"So, you and Matt a couple or something?" Rika asked.

Sora blushed again. "Well, yes and no. We're just a little closer than friends."

"That's nice." Rika said.

"Have you ever gotten a boyfriend?" Sora asked.

"Well, I did kind of fall in love with Ken's older brother, Sam." Rika said.

"I would confirm that." Wizardmon said. "Considering how often you seemed to think about him."

"If you hadn't been fused with me at the time I would be pummeling you for that." Rika threatened.

"All right, I'm sorry." Wizardmon shrugged. "Then I guess I shouldn't bring up the pictures you kept drawing of him in your sketchbook."

Rika's face turned a deep shade of red, causing laughter amongst her friends. "How very nice that you were in love, Rika." Sorcermon complimented. "He must've been a very kind boy."

"Make way!"

They all jumped away just as Jun tore past them. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" Rika called after her.

"I've got homemade cookies for Matt!" Jun called back, bursting into the room where Matt and his band gathered for rehearsal. The DigiDestined exchanged looks before entering the room themselves to watch what would happen. Matt was the only one in the room, looking very flustered over Jun standing so close to him and holding out a small box filled with cookies. But he managed to stutter out a "thank you" and excused himself to go practice. But it wasn't until Sorcermon secretly made an icy path on the floor did Jun slip and slide and leave the room.

"That probably wasn't nice." Sorcermon said sheepishly. "But she scares me a little."

"That was a blessing, I assure you." Matt took one of Jun's cookies and took a bite, only for his face to scrunch up. "Ugh! These cookies are hard as rocks!" He hurriedly threw the box into the trashcan, smiling at the sight of Sora. "Hey Sora. I bet your cookies will taste _a lot _better."

Sora blushed. "Well, I certainly hope so."

"Actually, before you two get to your conversation, I'd like a word with Matt." Rika said hurriedly. "Then we can leave you two alone while we go prepare for a party." Everyone, save for Wizardmon, seemed surprised by the sudden request. But Sora, Biyomon, and Gabumon nodded and stepped outside the door.

"So what's this about?" Matt asked.

"We were just wondering if you've been approached by anyone suspicious recently." Rika asked. "Or if anyone sketchy has approached your dad."

"Like, 'approached' as in 'threatened'?" Matt asked.

"Sort of." Wizardmon confirmed. "Or if anyone talked to you or your father about strange things like the Odaiba attack four years ago, or any 'monster problems'."

"I haven't talked to anyone about that stuff." Matt said. "At least, not someone who I didn't know. And as far as I know, my dad hasn't talked to anyone either."

"You're sure a tall man with black hair and gray-ish skin didn't come up and talk to you?" Wizardmon asked.

"What's this about, guys?" Matt demanded, sounding a little worried. "Did something happen to you?"

"Well, someone of that description approached your mother." Sorcermon blurted out, only for Rika to stomp on his foot.

"What happened?" Matt asked, his tone filled with fear and anger.

"It's nothing." Rika explained. "Your mom ran into some guy at the mall and he seemed to startle her a bit. But it's nothing to worry about." She took out a small sketchbook from her pocket and a pen, scribbling something down and tearing out the page. "This is my cell number; if anyone suspicious or otherwise weird comes up to you, T.K., or your parents, call or text me and we'll come right over."

Matt took the paper, staring at it. "Are you sure I don't have to worry about this?"

"It'll be okay." Rika assured.

"We'll be sure to keep an eye out for him." Sorcermon added. "It was Wizardmon who spotted him with your mother first and went running over."

"So, do you know who the guy was?" Matt asked the Majin.

Wizardmon glared at the ground. "No."

Matt narrowed his eyes. "Look me in the eye and say that."

Wizardmon still didn't look up; in fact, he turned and marched out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Sorcermon sighed. "Me and my big mouth."

"It's okay, Sorcermon." Rika assured. "You didn't know."

"I guess I shouldn't give him such a hard time." Matt sighed. "For all we know, this guy might not even be human; he could be Mummymon, or someone like him."

"Hey, do us a favor and don't mention this to T.K." Rika requested. "He doesn't need to worry about this."

"No problem." Matt assured. "But only if you apologize to Wizardmon for me."

"Okay." Rika nodded. "But I'm sure he doesn't hold anything against you."

"I know." Matt said. "It's just that…..I worry about the guy. He's got scars and all sorts of traumatic experiences in his past. He seems like such a nice guy; I mean, he was willing to give his life for Kari and Gatomon, and I'd be willing to bet he'd do the same for any of us. I just wish he could tell us more about whoever's controlling him."

"It _is _frustrating." Rika agreed.

"Not only that, but it's a little scary." Matt added.

"What do you mean?" Rika asked.

"I mean, just from what I've seen with Wizardmon, even just by talking about some of the things he's done, I can tell he's a really, _really _powerful Digimon." Matt said. "So that means that not just anyone can control him. This person that's been able to control him for the past four years….he's got to be really strong. I'm not sure I want to be around if and when he reveals himself."

Rika stared at Matt, his words swirling in her brain.

* * *

><p>The second generation DigiDestined arrived promptly to Ken's apartment for the party, and his mother greeted them warmly as she ushered them inside. Ken greeted them a little shyly, somewhat embarrassed by his mother's overly excited attitude to having Ken's "little friends" over for the evening. He hurriedly began his tour of the apartment, silently thanking the heavens when his mother announced that she needed to finish dinner.<p>

"And this is my room." Ken announced, leading them into his humble bedroom. "Nothing fancy."

Yolei caught sight of a picture frame nearby and gasped softly. "This is a good picture of you, Ken."

Ken took a look and frowned sadly. "Um…it's not me. It's my older brother, Sam."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Yolei said hurriedly.

Rika approached the desk and lifted the picture frame, staring at the photo of the boy she used to hang out with almost every day. He gently touched the picture Sam's face. "I really miss him."

Ken sighed softly. "Yeah. I do too."

Everyone went silent for a while until Mrs. Ichijōji came and offered them refreshments. Thankful for the distraction, the Digimon stayed hidden in Ken's room while the kids hurried out for drinks and cookies. The kids sat at the table, talking and laughing while Mrs. Ichijōji watched with a warm smile. After a while, Ken found a moment to sneak some of the cookies and other snacks back into his room for the Digimon. However, when he arrived he discovered Wizardmon chasing DemiVeemon and Upamon all around the room while the other Digimon cowered on his bed.

"Hey!" Ken called quietly, not wanting to alert his mother of the situation. "What are you guys doing?"

"Those two made a fake mistletoe and tried to get me and Gatomon under it!" Wizardmon hissed, still running after the culprits.

"It was supposed to be funny!" DemiVeemon whimpered.

"It wasn't funny when Tai did it and it's not funny now!" Gatomon snapped.

"All right, all right!" Ken grabbed Wizardmon's arm to stop the chase. "You can kill them later. I brought snacks for all of you."

"Oh boy!" Minomon cheered. "Are those your mom's cookies?" He and the other Digimon hurried over to take the snacks, immediately munching down on them hungrily.

"Ken." Sorcermon said, approaching the boy. "I found this when they almost crashed into the desk. Does it really belong to Rika?"

Ken looked down and noticed a Yin-Yang symbol necklace and the letter Sam wrote to Rika, all those years ago, resting in Sorcermon's gloved hand. "That was in my drawer! How did you get it?"

Sorcermon looked guilty. "Well, they ran into the desk and the drawer sort of flew open and…uh…."

Ken wanted to snap, maybe even yell at Sorcermon. But then he felt a sense of déjà vu, and he remembered how he rummaged through Sam's desk and took the Digivice without permission. Then he ended up going to the Digital World for a long time; when he returned, Sam was so angry with him for snooping around in the drawer. Maybe Ken did disobey his brother, but he was just curious. Like Sorcermon; he only thought he was doing the right thing. So Ken just smiled softly and took the necklace and letter.

"These do belong to Rika, Sorcermon." Ken said. "I've been meaning to give them to her for a while now. But next time, please don't go snooping like that in your friends' things. It's kind of a privacy thing."

Sorcermon looked down, hiding his face with the bill of his hat. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

"It's okay." Ken assured. "What matters is that you realize what you did. Just don't do it again please."

Sorcermon smiled a little. "Okay."

"Come on, Sorcermon!" Poromon called. "I want you to try some of these!"

Sorcermon smiled wider and hurried over to them. Ken moved out to the living room, just as his friends started moving towards his room. "Hey Ken!" Kari waved. "We were just about to go play a card game."

"I just hope I catch on fast." Yolei said nervously. "I'm not so good at card games."

"It'll be easy." Davis waved it off.

"I'd love to join in, but first I want a word with Rika out on the terrace." Ken said.

"Sure." Rika nodded. "You guys get the game started and we'll meet up with you." She and Ken walked out to the terrace while the others disappeared into Ken's room. Ken and Rika stood at the railing, staring out at the city for a moment. Ken fingered the necklace and letter in his pocket. For some reason, he felt a little nervous about this. After all, he's been keeping two very precious things away from the one person who deserved to own them, and he didn't know how Rika would react. Even when knowing her, she had her ways of surprising him.

"Um….Rika….." Ken started.

"Is it weird that I still don't feel used to living in the Real World?" Rika asked. "I mean, I lived in the Digital World for years, so I'm used to sleeping in trees and looking for food. Now, I'm actually living with a new human family and I don't have to worry about going hungry." She smiled at Ken, taking his hand in hers. "But the one thing that makes me really happy is that I get to see you again. You and Sam were my only true friends, and I'm happy to have you back."

Ken felt a little guilt gnawing at his stomach, and he pulled his hand back. He took out the letter and necklace, holding them out to Rika. "I promised I would get this necklace back to you, so here it is. I've kept it safe all these years, I promise."

Rika smiled and took the necklace, tying it around her neck where it belonged. "Thanks Ken. I knew you'd get it back to me."

"And this…" Ken swallowed a little. "The day Sam died, we were coming over to your house because you never showed up for school. We didn't even know about the fire yet. On that day, Sam wanted to give this to you." Rika took the letter, noticing Ken's nervous look. "I already read it, so I know everything. I just wanted to say I was sorry."

Rika stared at Ken for a moment before opening the paper and reading the letter. Her eyes scanned the page, her face emotionless. When she finished, she folded the letter again and gently pushed it into her pocket. She stared out at the night sky, silent and motionless.

Ken looked down. "I'm sorry. I didn't even want to give it to you. I was afraid. Afraid that if you and Sam got serious with a relationship, then I would be cut out of our friendship circle. I didn't want to be left out or left behind; I already felt that way with my own family. I was jealous, and angry, and you have every right to hate me for it. But I just—"

Ken's eyes widened when Rika's lips suddenly crashed onto his. But he allowed himself to become immersed and kissed back. They stayed like that for several moments before Rika pulled away.

"I loved Sam with all my heart." Rika said. "And I wish things could've worked out differently so he could be with me now. But I would never abandon you, and neither would he." She turned and walked back into the house, leaving Ken to stare after her for a moment before smiling softly and following.

* * *

><p>"Here, try this one." Gatomon said, offering Sorcermon one of her candies.<p>

"I don't think I should." Sorcermon chuckled. "If I eat any more, I'll explode!"

"You could use a little fattening up!" Poromon laughed. "You were skin and bones when we first met you."

"That was over a month ago!" Sorcermon laughed, causing the other Digimon to join in. Rika and Kari giggled at the sight before turning back to their card game with the other human kids.

Wizardmon tensed up a little, looking off towards the window nearby. "What's up, Wizardmon?" Minomon asked.

"I could've sworn….." Wizardmon sighed. "Never mind. It's nothing."

"Is something wrong?" Gatomon asked worriedly.

"No, but I thought I felt a surge of new auras in the area." Wizardmon said. "I'm sure it's nothing; pass me one of those rice crackers."

Gatomon seemed a little suspicious, but obeyed. _I may not know much about aura reading, but if Wizardmon senses something then something must be wrong._

"Got any threes?" Davis asked.

"NO! No, no, no!" Yolei snapped.

"Just say 'go fish'." Davis chuckled.

"Oh." Yolei said sheepishly.

"You'll get the hang of it, Yolei." Davis assured, showing off his pile of matched cards.

Yolei groaned, face palming. "I can't even learn Go Fish!" Everyone began laughing at poor Yolei's expense, but they soon stopped when a new laugh rang out: Ken's.

"Did you see what I saw?" Cody breathed.

"Ken just laughed." Yolei confirmed.

"What a great smile." Kari complimented. "Ken, you should try to laugh more often."

Ken stared, his cheeks going a little red. "Thanks a lot." Davis muttered. They all busted out laughing again, and this time Ken willingly joined in.

"Well, I think we're done with this game." Rika suggested, setting her cards down.

"My deal!" Yolei called. "What do you guys want to play?"

"How about strip poker?" Davis suggested, only for Rika to shove him down.

"Ken!" Mrs. Ichijōji called. "Some boy named Tai's on the phone for your friend Kari!"

"Something must be wrong." Kari said, hurriedly standing and running to the phone.

Rika jumped a little when her cell phone rang and she hurriedly answered it. "Hello? Oh hey Matt. How's the concert?" Her eyes widened and she gasped. "Say what?!"

* * *

><p>Wild Digimon rampaged all over the area, but the original DigiDestined were more worried about the DarkTyrannomon and Bakemon before them.<p>

"Hey!" Matt called angrily. "You ruined my concert!"

"Matt, glad to see you're focused!" Tai said sarcastically.

Luckily for them, the second generation DigiDestined flew overheard or traveled on the ground, hurrying towards them.

"There they are!" Kari called from Nefertimon.

"Is that a Control Spire?" Rika pointed from her perch on Dynasmon.

"I'm more worried about that DarkTyrannomon!" Sorcermon added.

"I knew I felt something!" Dynasmon said. "Especially from here, I can sense many wild Digimon all over town!"

"Let's worry about getting to the others first!" T.K. called, the Digimon shooting down to the rest of the DigiDestined.

"We need to take out that Control Spire!" Nefertimon urged.

"No problem!" Dynasmon held up his palms. _"Dragon's Roar!"_

"_Thunder Blast!" _Raidramon called.

"_Rock Cracking!" _Digmon slammed his drills into the ground. The three combined attacks caused the Control Spire to tilt and finally fall over.

"Time for us to clean up this mess!" Ken pulled out his Digivice.

"_Wormmon digivolve to….Stingmon!"_

"Let's do it, old school style!" Tai urged, the original kids pulling out their own Digivices.

"_Agumon digivolve to…Greymon!"_

"_Biyomon digivolve to…..Birdramon!"_

"_Gabumon digivolve to….Garurumon!"_

"_Gomamon digivolve to…..Ikkakumon!"_

"_Tentomon digivolve to….Kabuterimon!"_

Greymon and DarkTyrannomon immediately began grappling with each other. The rest of the Digimon split up to battle the different wild Digimon around the area. But the wild ones were already too out of control to land a hit or subdue in general. Most of them didn't even attack back, and soon it became clear that the battles were going nowhere.

"They're all over the place!" Matt groaned.

"Yeah, they've got us outnumbered!" Tai added.

"Even if we take them out, what are we supposed to do with them?" Rika demanded.

"Wait!" Joe called. "I've got an idea. Everyone, get all the evil Digimon together in one place."

"We're gonna send them back to the Digital World." Izzy said, holding up his laptop.

"I know what to do!" Yolei looked up to her Digimon. "Halsemon!"

"At your service!" Halsemon nodded. _"Udjat Gaze!" _Rings of golden light shot from his eyes towards a group of Bakemon, Numemon, and a Phantomon, hypnotizing them into a daze.

"Ready, partner?" Nefertimon called.

"_Golden Noose!" _Nefertimon and Pegasusmon created their combo attack and managed to weave the rope into a net and gather up the Digimon.

"Is your laptop ready, Izzy?" Yolei called.

"Ready and able!" Izzy confirmed.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Yolei held up her D3. "Digi-port, open!" A bright light shot from the laptop, and the net full of Digimon got sucked through the portal and back to their home world.

"Well that wasn't so hard." Davis said.

"Easy as pie!" Tai agreed.

"Oh boy." Kari groaned. "We should make it a rule that Tai and Davis aren't allowed to be together in the same room."

"Forget about them, Kari." T.K. said. "It's the Digimon that worry me. How'd they get here to our world in the first place? Not to mention that Control Spire."

"What if…it's a brand new enemy?" Cody breathed.

"See you around, not!" Greymon growled, throwing DarkTyrannomon over his shoulder and through the portal.

"Listen up, everyone!" Ken called. "I'm pretty sure I know who's behind all this. It's got to be Arukenimon."

Digmon shot his drills, knocking Snimon out of the sky. _"Drowning Aquarius!" _Sorcermon used water from the harbor nearby and swept up the praying mantis Digimon, sending him flying into the portal and back home.

"You think so?" Tai asked Ken.

"What makes you think she's involved?" Davis asked.

"Because she's able to move freely between the two worlds." Ken said, sounding determined with his answer.

"That's right." Rika nodded. "She and Mummymon came to the Real World to kidnap me, and I'd be willing to bet they've come to our world before."

Nefertimon and Birdramon dropped the tent from the concert over some of the remaining Digimon, and the combined force of Ikkakumon, Raidramon, and Garurumon pushed them all through the portal.

"Just two Ultimate's left." Tai said, looking to the Monzaemon and Megadramon. "Davis, Ken, would you like to do the honors?"

The mentioned boys nodded. "New plan, guys!" Davis called to the Digimon. "We have to fight Ultimate's with Ultimate's! Go back to you Rookie stages and get ready to DNA Digivolve!"

The Digimon obeyed, and the Digivolution began.

"_Veemon digivolve to….ExVeemon!"_

"_Hawkmon digivolve to….Aquilamon!"_

"_Armadillomon digivolve to….Ankylomon!"_

"_Patamon digivolve to…Angemon!"_

"Now let's see what all this DNA fuss is about!" Tai called.

"Show 'em, guys!" Davis called.

"_ExVeemon…..Stingmon…..DNA Digivolve to….Paildramon!"_

"_Aquilamon…..Gatomon…..DNA Digivolve to….Silphymon!"_

"_Ankylomon….Angemon…..DNA Digivolve to…..Shakkoumon!"_

"Wizardmon, I think these guys could use a taste of Beelzemon!" Rika called, holding up her Digivice.

"I agree!" Wizardmon nodded.

"What should I do?" Sorcermon asked.

"Nothing for now." Rika said. "You've done great already." Sorcermon seemed disappointed, but nodded and stayed back.

"_Wizardmon Warp Digivolve to…..Beelzemon!"_

The Digimon lunged for the final two opponents, ready to finish it.

"_Spiking Strike!" _Paildramon lunged for Megadramon, only to miss and hurriedly dodge the dragon Digimon's blasts.

"_Static Force!" _Silphymon threw the red sphere of energy from its palms, but Monzaemon met it halfway with a Hearts Attack.

"_Darkness Claw!" _Beelzemon slashed his claws, sending Monzaemon flying.

"_Kachina Bombs!" _Shakkoumon sent the razor-sharp projectiles, and even though they didn't hit the Digimon it distracted them enough so he could grab Monzaemon. Paildramon grabbed Megadramon by the tail and swung him around. The two hybrid Digimon threw their opponents through the portal, successfully ending the battle.

"And to all a good night!" Yolei cheered as Izzy closed his laptop.

"Yeah, we did it!" Davis cheered. "All the DigiDestined together! Ultimate teamwork!"

"That was pretty awesome if I say so myself." Rika said proudly.

"Say Rika!" Kiimon bounced up to his human partner. "Can I please go back to Wizardmon now? I hate being in my Baby form!"

"Aw, but you sound so cute!" Rika gushed.

Kiimon groaned. "Just do it!"

"In a little while." Rika promised, scooping up her Digimon. "You need to regain some of your strength."

"Well done, guys." Kari complimented as the kids hugged their Digimon. But she noticed someone not as happy as the others. "Hey Sorcermon. What's wrong?"

Sorcermon sighed. "I must apologize to you all. I…kind of knew about Arukenimon coming to the Real World."

"What?" everyone gasped.

"Well, not fully." Sorcermon admitted. "She never did tell me where she'd go. But I used to have this cell phone she'd contact me on. And she'd disappear through this strange portal and then not return for a while. She kept talking about how she'd bring Control Spires to the Realm of the Humans; and she would go around the DigiWorld and tell Digimon about how one day, they would get the opportunity to travel to a land beyond their dreams, that if they joined her they would receive some of the spoils of the new world."

"Sounds like something out of a history book." Sora said.

"Guys, if Arukenimon and her Digimon can move between worlds, then we're in trouble." Tai warned.

"What'll we do?" Matt asked.

"We'll have to fight all over again." Tai said ruefully.

"Relax." Davis said firmly. "We'll get her." The others nodded in agreement, sharing a mutual determination to take down Arukenimon.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for walking me to the train, everyone." Ken said gratefully. "I guess my party is over, huh? It was short, but it was fun."<p>

"We had a great time, Ken." Davis assured.

"Me too." Ken nodded. "Thanks." He turned and started walking up the steps, ready to relax on the train home.

"And we're all gonna come over next year!" Davis added.

Rika suddenly ran up after Ken, stopping him from walking. "I had a great time too, Ken." She pulled out her Yin-Yang pendant from her shirt collar. "Thanks for returning this to me, and for delivering that letter." She quickly kissed his cheek before returning to the others. Ken stared after her for a moment before smiling and disappearing into the train station.

"Oh, someone's got a boyfriend!" Tai teased, only for Rika to punch his shoulder.

"Merry Christmas." Sora sighed happily. "And a happy new year."

"You too." Kari nodded.

"Oh no." Davis groaned. "I forgot to kiss Kari under the mistletoe."

"He never quits." Tai sighed. "Davis, take it from me: you'll never learn about women." Everyone laughed at poor Davis's expense, who just pouted a little.

* * *

><p>Tai fell back on his bed, laughing as Agumon jumped on top of him. "Agumon, you were the best present ever! Can you stay through till New Year's?"<p>

"I thought you'd never ask me!" Agumon laughed as the two of them began bouncing again.

"Be careful, guys!" Salamon warned. "You just ate!"

"I don't want you losing your Christmas dinner on the bed." Kari added.

"And I actually _don't _want to be stuck sleeping in a closet again." Impmon said from his perch on Rika's shoulders.

"I'm starting to wish you hadn't regained your strength so fast." Rika laughed. "You're a lot snarkier in your Impmon form."

Agumon yawned. "Tell me a Christmas bedtime story. Would you, Tai?"

"I know one." Kari said in a sing-song voice. "'Twas a Digimon Christmas, and everyone was busy. Especially the likes of Tentomon and Izzy. Joe played with Gomamon, Matt and Gabumon ate. Palmon saw Mimi, isn't that great? Cody and Upamon shared a little sushi, while Pururumon sat on Yolei's toushi! Tokomon went caroling, Ken's thankful for friends. While in Davis's dreams the fun never ends."

"That's nice." Rika said. "I've got one too. Tis the season for giving and being together, for we have a bond that no one can sever. It's a time for family and loving times, even when we run out of rhymes." Everyone laughed, but Rika continued. "We'll always be together, and everyone will see, that nobody can replace my family."

"I like that one." Agumon yawned again, settling down to sleep. "I'm glad you're in our family, Rika."

"Me too." Rika nodded.

"Goodnight now, guys." Kari waved. "Merry Christmas." The girls left for their room and the boys began to settle down.

"Aren't you tired, Impmon?" Sorcermon asked, climbing up to the top bunk of the bed.

"A little." Impmon nodded, sitting down in the corner. "I just want to meditate, and see if I can Digivolve again."

"You really don't like being anyone but Wizardmon, huh?" Tai guessed.

"Once you reach a form you love, you never want to be anyone else." Impmon smirked, crossing his legs and folding his hands. He closed his eyes and concentrated his energy. Then, before Tai's, Sorcermon's, and Agumon's eyes, Impmon began to glow and morphed into his Wizardmon form.

"Whoa." Agumon breathed. "You're really good at that! And you didn't even need Rika's help!"

Wizardmon shrugged. "It's just something I discovered I could do. I don't question it."

Tai stared at Wizardmon for a moment. "You're more powerful than I thought." He looked down. "It makes me wonder….how you didn't become evil like other Digimon I know who were that powerful."

"Those Digimon knew they were strong but wanted more." Wizardmon said wisely. "I know I'm powerful, but I strive for a different goal."

"What's that?" Sorcermon asked. Wizardmon stared at the ground, not answering. Sorcermon looked down too, but soon brightened up. "I strive to become more powerful so I can DNA Digivolve. I want to protect my friends from Arukenimon."

"That's a good goal." Tai said. "Get to sleep now. We really shouldn't stay awake for much longer."

"I'm just going to meditate for a while." Wizardmon said, closing his eyes and pressing his thumbs and forefingers together, curling the rest of his fingers towards his palms. Tai, Agumon, and Sorcermon settled down to sleep, Tai shutting off the lights as he did but setting a camping lantern in front of Wizardmon so he'd have light. The room became very quiet, save for Tai's soft snoring. After a few hours, the door opened a little and a shadow slipped into the room. Wizardmon, deep in meditation, hardly noticed as the shadow darted around the room. Then, the figure crept up towards Wizardmon, getting closer and closer before finally jumping up on Tai's desk chair to get up closer to his head.

Wizardmon felt the new presence in the room, but the aura felt familiar and unthreatening. But when a pair of lips quickly pressed against his cheek, his eyes flew open to see who it was. However, the shadow seemed to have disappeared. The Majin touched his cheek, remembering the kiss was given…..by a pair of fuzzy lips.

"Gatomon…" he breathed with a small smile.

* * *

><p>Without even realizing it, Salamon digivolved to Gatomon as she slept curled up beside Kari. It was maybe one in the morning when Wizardmon drifted into the room, not making a sound. He flew over towards Kari's bed, staring at the sleeping occupants for a while. He gently brushed Kari's bangs from her face, and she smiled softly. Wizardmon moved to Gatomon, watching her ear twitch a little as she slept. Then, he pulled down his cowl and leaned down to kiss her head, earning a smile and a happy sigh from the cat Digimon.<p>

Careful not to wake them, Wizardmon flew off and out of the room, back to Tai's room and climbing into bed. He laid on his back, staring at the ceiling with a soft smile.

* * *

><p>Sorcermon slept peacefully, his dreams filled with snow and ice and the wonders of the Real World. So naturally, he didn't expect to be woken up by a swift kick to the shin.<p>

"Ow!" Sorcermon yelped, bolting upright and holding his leg. "Wizardmon! I'm trying to sleep!" His eyes widened when he saw his twin writhing and going into spasms, shouting as though in pain. "Wizardmon! Hey!"

Tai climbed up the ladder. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Something's wrong with Wizardmon!" Sorcermon said, grabbing Wizardmon's shoulders and shaking him. "I think he's having a vision!"

"A vision?" Agumon asked, climbing up onto the bed. "You sure it's not just a bad dream?"

"I'm sure." Sorcermon nodded. "I've seen other Majin get visions; when it's something bad, it becomes painful. It's like getting stabbed over and over again with a hot fire poker."

"Well wake him up before he wakes the entire apartment!" Tai urged, shaking Wizardmon. "Hey! Wizardmon, wake up!" Wizardmon continued to writhe as though in pain, sweat drenching his head and pressing his bangs to his face. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, letting out another shout now and then.

Agumon, finally unable to watch his friend in pain, lunged forward and bit down onto Wizardmon's arm; not hard enough to break it, but plenty hard enough to draw a little blood and wake him up. "I'm sorry, Wizardmon, but it was the only way to wake you up!"

"Lucky for you, it looks like you didn't wake anybody else up." Tai said.

Wizardmon didn't answer, his eyes wild. He breathed a little heavily, hardily noticing is bleeding arm.

Kari, Rika, and Gatomon suddenly burst into the room. "What happened?" Kari asked hurriedly. "We were about to make breakfast and heard someone screaming."

"It was Wizardmon." Sorcermon said. "He just had a bad vision."

Gatomon hurriedly scaled the ladder and moved to be in Wizardmon's line of sight. "What was it? What did you see?"

"Digimon….." Wizardmon breathed. "Control Spires….everywhere…..they destroyed everything…"

"Wizardmon, you're not making sense." Rika said. "What are you talking about?"

Wizardmon suddenly leaped off the bed, running past the girls and out the door. The others followed close behind him, but couldn't stop the Majin as he threw open the sliding glass door and suddenly leaped off the balcony, flying off into the air.

"Where are you going?" Rika shouted.

"Wizardmon!" Gatomon called.

* * *

><p>"Davis! Wake up!"<p>

Davis exited his room groggily, yawning a little. "Why? What's going on?" He asked Jun. He walked out to stand beside her, noticing the TV on and the news playing.

"_We received many eye witness reports on yesterday's monster attack downtown." _The reporter said. _"Including sightings of mysterious black obelisks. International reports now confirm these towers are appearing all over the world."_

Davis's eyes widened in shock, gasping softly. "It's just like the one at Matt's concert!" Jun gasped.

_More Control Spires. _Davis thought.

* * *

><p>Wizardmon flew towards Tamachi, where he felt the closest foreign energy. He stopped suddenly, staring in horror.<p>

A Control Spire stood off in the distance.

"Oh no." Wizardmon breathed. "It can't be!"

* * *

><p>Izzy gasped in shock, and Tentomon flew up to him with a worried look. "What's the matter, Izzy? Did your computer freeze again?"<p>

"It's even worse!" Izzy said. "Look at this!" Tentomon looked at the computer, where a map of the world could be seen and red dots blinking all over it. "Digi-ports are opening all over the world!"

"Oh no!" Tentomon cried.

"And there's nothing we can do to stop it." Izzy growled in frustration.

"I don't suppose it could be Santa's new way of delivering toys, hmm?" Tentomon gulped. Izzy glared at the screen, feeling an overwhelming sense of helplessness he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Now what are we gonna do?" Izzy groaned.


	39. Dramon Power

**A/N: As a treat, I'm updating early for kallin22 who has been patiently (if not anxiously) waiting for the DNA Digivolution of Wizardmon and Sorcermon. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Episode 39: Dramon Power<strong>

For most of the morning, the news could only broadcast the appearance of strange black obelisks and monsters not only in Japan, but all over the world. For a group of DigiDestined kids, it meant there were Control Spires and Digimon rampaging around the Real World. None of them knew exactly how they would handle this situation, nor did they have enough information about it to make a plan of attack. So, despite newscaster warnings to remain indoors, the kids and their Digimon prepared to meet up and take on the wild Digimon. Once they confirmed Izzy's home as the meeting place, they dressed warmly and hurried off.

"Rika, come on!" Tai called from the door, pulling on his shoes.

Rika came around the corner, strapping her sword to her hip and pulling on her coat. "Wizardmon's not back yet. He should've come back by now, so where is he?"

"I'm sure we'll run into him on the way to Izzy's." Tai said. "Right now, we have to get going."

"Don't forget, he can sense where we are." Sorcermon said. "He'll catch up later, I'm positive."

Rika bit her bottom lip, staring out the sliding glass door. "Okay. Let's go!" They hurried out and flew down the stairs, bursting out of the apartment complex and running down the street towards Izzy's house. Davis and Matt soon joined them.

After running for a bit, Tai noticed someone falling behind. He stopped and turned around. "What are you waiting for, Davis? Come on, let's go!"

Davis seemed conflicted for a moment before his gaze hardened to determination. "I can't! Right now, I have to go to Tamachi!"

"You have to what?" Tai asked, flabbergasted.

"Didn't you hear the news?" Davis argued. "There's Digimon in Tamachi. That's where Ken lives! He's probably begging for my help right now!"

"Don't start making this all about you!" Rika snapped angrily, making Davis jump. "I am in no mood to deal with your ego! Ken can take care of himself, especially with Wormmon by his side. In any case, Ken was _my _friend first, so _I _should be the one to help him if he needs it."

"Hold on!" Tai interrupted. "Tamachi isn't the only place in trouble, you know; people all over the world need our help! We can't worry about one individual, now let's go to Izzy's house and come up with some sort of a plan!"

"That's it!" Davis snapped. "He's not an individual; he's one of us!"

"But Davis…" Kari protested.

"You're right, I understand." Tai said suddenly, sounding apologetic. _We really can't leave behind one of our own. Besides, he and Ken can DNA Digivolve their Digimon and maybe we'll have one less problem to deal with. _"Okay then. I'll take charge of everything on this end. You go on to Tamachi and help out Ken."

Davis smiled. "Right!"

"I'm coming too." Rika announced. "Like I said, Ken was my friend first. I'm not going to leave him behind."

"And maybe we'll run into Wizardmon on the way." Sorcermon added. He and Rika joined Davis as they ran off towards Tamachi, leaving their friends to continue going towards Izzy's. After a few minutes, Sorcermon spoke up. "Rika, I have to tell you something."

"Can it wait?" Rika asked. "We're kind of in the middle of a crisis here."

"It's about Wizardmon." Sorcermon said, causing Davis and Rika to skid to a halt. The humans and DemiVeemon looked to Sorcermon.

"What about Wizardmon?" DemiVeemon asked. "Is it about why he's not here?"

"Well, yes and no." Sorcermon admitted, staring at the ground in thought. "Rika, remember what Matt said about Wizardmon being so powerful?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Rika asked.

Sorcermon finally looked up, an unreadable look in his eyes. "I think I know why he's so strong."

* * *

><p>While Digimon rampaged across the Real World, deep in the DigiWorld Azulongmon met with an old friend to help out on their end. The dragon Digimon knew it would be a bit of a risk to do it, but they didn't really have a choice at the moment. A young man in a hooded, off-white robe sat before him.<p>

"My friend, you look a thousand years younger." Azulongmon complimented.

"Thank you, Azulongmon." The man said. "Amazing what a few Digi-vitamins can do."

"I have something for you." One of the orbs on Azulongmon's body detached itself and floated down to the man's hands. "A Digicore. I think you know what to do with it. Remember, its powers are not to be taken lightly."

"I'll remember." The man bowed in respect. "Thank you."

"Good luck to you!" Azulongmon called as he disappeared. "You'll need it, if both worlds are to survive."

* * *

><p>In Tamachi, people found it odd enough that a tall black obelisk appeared overnight and out of nowhere in the middle of town. What made them freak out and start running for their lives was the big black triceratops tearing through the city.<p>

"I'm Triceramon!" the dinosaur roared. "Get my point? Well you will if I use my Tri Horn attack on you! And don't bother hitting back; my shell is the hardest of any Digimon alive!"

Only one didn't run away from the attacking Triceramon; Ken hurriedly dodged people as he ran towards Triceramon, cradling Wormmon in his arms. He ducked into an alleyway and away from prying eyes, looking around just to make sure. Wormmon jumped from his arms.

"Wormmon, you better Digivolve!" Ken urged.

Wormmon tried, but he could feel something stopping his connection with the Digivice and soon slumped down. "I can't do it. I'm all Digivolved out."

Ken narrowed his eyes. "That can only mean one thing." He turned and looked around, searching for the only reason this could all be happening.

"See, Mummymon? I told you he was smart."

Ken's eyes traveled upwards until they locked with two familiar figures on top of a building across the street.

"Are you looking for little old me?" Arukenimon laughed.

"You're friends aren't here to save you this time." Mummymon gloated. "Too bad, 'cause Triceramon looks hungry!"

Ken glared at them, but he couldn't deny that they were right. As long as that Control Spire stood, Wormmon couldn't Digivolve; his friends were miles away.

"Coming through!"

Arukenimon and Mummymon yelped, the former almost falling off the edge of the building, as a blue and cream colored streak shot past them and landed before Ken.

"Wizardmon!" Ken gasped. "What are you doing here? Are Rika and Sorcermon coming?"

"Not sure." Wizardmon admitted. "But I knew something was wrong when I saw that Control Spire." He refused to go into the details of his vision, but he made a silent promise to make sure it never came true. Not fully, anyway.

"Well if it isn't the little traitor." Arukenimon sneered. "Come back to die?"

"The only death that will come today will be yours!" Wizardmon shouted. "I am no traitor."

"Best be careful, Wizardmon." Mummymon warned. "Or you'll get into even more trouble!"

Wizardmon glared at them. "Why you little…"

"_Thunder Blast!"_

"_Crystal Barrage!"_

They jumped when a large bolt of lightning and a round of ice crystals shot towards the Control Spire, successfully demolishing it. Ken, Wizardmon, and Wormmon ran out of the alley to see Davis, Rika, Raidramon, and Sorcermon. Raidramon dedigivolved back to Veemon as Rika ran up to Wizardmon, hugging him tightly.

"You had me worried sick!" Rika scolded.

"I'm sorry, but I'm here now and everything will be fine." Wizardmon assured.

"We've got to do something about that Digimon!" Ken urged, looking to the Triceramon as he crushed a car under one of his hooves.

"Then let's go!" Rika called.

"_Veemon Digivolve to…..ExVeemon!"_

"_Wormmon Digivolve to…Stingmon!"_

"_Wizardmon Digivolve to…..Baalmon!"_

Stingmon and Baalmon moved in first, the former lunging with a Spiking Strike and the latter with his sword. But both weapons bounced off Triceramon's tough hide, and he swung his head around to slam into the two of them, sending them flying and crashing into a building. ExVeemon launched his V Laser while Sorcermon threw another Crystal Barrage, but both attacks seemed to only make Triceramon angrier as he rammed them into another building.

"Hey you overgrown hunk of meat!" Rika shouted. "Wait until I get my hands on you!"

"Rika, no!" Ken protested. "Even with your sword, you'll never be able to land a hit!"

"So what do we do?" Rika asked as their Digimon were tossed around. "This guy's stronger than any other Control Spire Digimon we've fought before; he's completely out of control!"

They jumped when Baalmon hit the ground beside them. "He's not a Control Spire Digimon." He groaned, rising to his feet. "He's a real Digimon; he's just lost and maybe a little confused. We need to get him home and fast."

"Let's DNA Digivolve!" Davis suggested.

"You got it!" Ken agreed.

"_ExVeemon…Stingmon…..DNA Digivolve to….Paildramon!"_

"If we could DNA Digivolve we'd have no problem with this guy." Sorcermon groaned.

"Let's not worry about that now." Baalmon assured. "Just keep fighting!"

Paildramon ran forward and collided with Triceramon, the two of them grappling for power over the situation. Luckily, them being locked as they were gave Ken and Davis enough time to open Ken's laptop and open a portal to the DigiWorld.

"Paildramon!" Ken called. "Get him into the Digi-port!"

"Baalmon, Sorcermon, help him out!" Rika called. But before her Digimon could make a move, Triceramon gave an extra heave and shoved Paildramon into a building. Baalmon and Sorcermon moved in only to get the same treatment.

"Paildramon! No!" Davis cried.

"Baalmon! Sorcermon!" Rika cried.

Paildramon struggled to stand, facing Triceramon again. But suddenly, Mummymon landed behind him and fired his gun, catching Paildramon in the back. He stumbled a bit, but Triceramon wasn't done either.

Sorcermon looked up to see Arukenimon still on top of the building. "Come down and fight, you coward!"

Arukenimon pretended to be bored. "Sorry, I don't like getting my hands dirty. But believe me when I say it would give me great pleasure to destroy you. I think I'll leave it to Mummymon for now."

Sorcermon glared as the mummified Digimon approached him. "I've waited a long time to get revenge. But I guess I can start with you as a warm-up."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at Izzy's house, the DigiDestined that gathered there established that there were actually many more DigiDestined than just themselves, and they quickly got to work with contacting the kids emailing them from all over the world. The next step was how to find all the Digimon in the Real World and send them back to the Digital World. Kari and Gatomon feared for Rika, Sorcermon, and Wizardmon, wondering if they were doing all right. But they remained focused on the task at hand.<p>

"These are the locations where the Digi-ports have opened and the Digimon have appeared." Izzy explained, pointing to the map on his laptop. "Whoa. There's more flashing lights here than a Christmas tree."

"Okay." Cody said. "All we have to do is find some way to send them all back to the Digital World through those Digi-ports."

"Only one problem with that theory: all the Digi-ports have closed." Izzy said. "I'm afraid we're gonna have no choice but to go to each one of those locations and use the D3s to open up new gates. Isn't Yolei's uncle a travel agent?"

"Well yeah." Yolei shrugged. "But he's not a miracle worker."

"Maybe we can all travel through the Digital World." Tai suggested.

"Only one port at a time in each area of the Digital World can be opened." Kari reminded him. "It could take us months to travel all over the world."

"We don't have months." T.K. said. "The way the Control Spires pop up it's more like days. If we don't find a way to destroy them, we won't have to worry about travel plans because there'll be no place to travel to!"

"We've got one chance." Izzy said, positioning his laptop and desktop computer screens so they face each other. "Things might get a little crazy. Everybody stand back." The kids and their Digimon obeyed, taking a few steps back and watching Izzy work.

"I hope you know what you're doing!" Tentomon whimpered.

Izzy clicked a few things, and suddenly the two computer screens began to glow brightly. The two beams of light met in the middle, and a flash of light erupted from the connection point. Everyone gasped in shock as a figure suddenly appeared in Izzy's room. He looked human enough, dressed in white shoes, pants, a long hooded robe hemmed with brown, and a black shirt underneath.

Yolei shouted in terror. "A ghost!"

The figure lowered his hood to reveal a handsome young man with spiky, cocoa brown hair and a long ponytail and light blue eyes. He smiled. "No, I'm not a ghost. Would a ghost look this good to you?"

Everyone save for Yolei and Cody smiled back warmly. "All right!" Tai cheered. "It worked!"

"We're real glad you came." Izzy told the man. "Thanks a lot, Gennai."

"I've always told you: if you ever need me just call." Gennai said.

"You mean _you're _Gennai?" Cody asked, stupefied. "I thought…."

"Last time we saw you, you were an old man." T.K. spoke Cody's thoughts. "My hat's off to your plastic surgeon."

Yolei smiled. "Uh, forgive me, but you're the most incredible hunk of an incredibly old man I've ever seen! I'm Yolei."

"Gennai, our world's being attacked." Izzy said quickly. "We're in real trouble."

"I know, Izzy." Gennai assured. "That's why I'm here." He held up a hand to reveal the blue orb Azulongmon gave him.

"Wow! That's cool!" Cody breathed. "What is it?"

"Listen close." Gennai said, his voice full of seriousness. "This was given to me by Azulongmon. It's one of his twelve Digicores. The power of this sphere is unlike anything you've seen before. So if anyone's squeamish, I suggest you back out now." Upon receiving no response, Gennai held up the orb. "Ready? Hold up your Digivices." The kids quickly did as they were told, holding up the devices and pointing them towards the blue orb. The air became full of energy and static, and a bright light emitted from the orb.

"I feel kinda fuzzy." Gatomon murmured.

"You are fuzzy." Patamon scoffed. "Hey! I feel it too!" Then…

"_Upamon digivolve to…..Armadillomon!"_

"_Poromon digivolve to…..Hawkmon!"_

The light died, and Yolei and Cody gasped. "Look! They digivolved!" Yolei breathed. "In our world!"

* * *

><p>Mummymon fired a blast towards Sorcermon and forced the ice Majin to jump away. Then he sent another one, sending Paildramon sliding backwards across the street. Although he managed to stay on his feet, Triceramon came up from behind and threw his head around, smacking Paildramon up into the air. Mummymon laughed as he fired another laser.<p>

"Paildramon!" Baalmon called, jumping up and putting himself between the blast and his comrade. He shouted in pain as the blast made contact.

"Baalmon!" Rika screamed. Sorcermon lunged forward as Baalmon dedigivolved to Wizardmon, catching his twin before he could slam into the pavement. Wizardmon groaned in pain, holding his stomach where the blast hit.

Ken, Davis, and Rika ran towards their Digimon, unsure how they could help but not caring. But Mummymon noticed them coming and fired his gun blast towards a building nearby, sending large chunks of debris raining down towards the preteens.

"Davis! Ken!" Paildramon shouted. "Watch out!"

"Rika!" Wizardmon and Sorcermon shouted.

The kids could only stare at the huge chunks of cement and glass coming straight towards them.

Suddenly, two bright beams of light shot up from Izzy's house and arced over the city, straight towards the battle. Paildramon became caught in one of the beams and floated in the air, softly inhaling at the feeling of new power coursing through his body.

Rika jumped as the second beam of light, which turned out to be a marble-sized version of Azulongmon's Digicore, shot into her Yin-Yang pendant she wore around her neck. She gasped, her attention drawn to the necklace instead of the danger above her, as her pendant and Crests began to glow. "My necklace…." Another glow emitted from her pocket: coming from her Digivice.

Sorcermon and Wizardmon tensed up, feeling like a thousand metal cables latched their souls together. _So this is what it's like…. _Wizardmon thought.

_To DNA Digivolve. _Sorcermon smiled.

"_Paildramon Mega Digivolve to…..Imperialdramon!"_

"_Wizardmon…Sorcermon…..DNA Digivolve to…Baihumon!"_

Rika, Ken, and Davis covered their heads and prepared for the crushing sensation, but they felt the ground shake and a shadow passed over them. They looked up to see two ginormous Digimon standing over them. One of them looked like a blue and white dragon, covered in grey armor similar to Stingmon's and wearing a red mask over his face. He had four large, red, bat-like wings and his claws looked razor sharp. The second Digimon was a white tiger the same height as the dragon, only with purple stripes, black claws, and grey armor on his ankles with Yin-Yang symbols in the metal. A ring of golden orbs surrounded his stomach and a purple mask rested over his eyes, four red eyes peering through the eyeholes.

"So guys, be honest." The dragon said. "How do we look?"

"And us too?" the tiger added.

"Well….well…uh…" for once, Davis found himself speechless.

"That used to be Paildramon?" Ken breathed.

"Yes, but I have digivolved to the highest level: my Mega form Imperialdramon." The dragon introduced. "I am stronger than any other Digimon. My Mega Crusher attack is virtually unstoppable!"

"Don't get too cocky." The white tiger warned, his voice a combination of Wizardmon's and Sorcermon's. "For we have DNA Digivolved to Baihumon, also a Mega level Digimon. Our strength is only matched by the Digimon Sovereigns themselves, and like the guardian of the DigiWorld's Western Region, the power of our Kongou attack makes our enemies cower in fear!"

Rika looked down at her still-glowing necklace. "Whatever that light was, it helped them DNA Digivolve. That's so cool!"

Once the two Mega Digimon realized their trainers were safe, they turned their attention to Mummymon and Triceramon. Mummymon immediately became fearful. "Oh no! They digivolved to Mega! That's impossible! This isn't my day."

"You're gonna need more bandages than that!" Imperialdramon growled.

"Take this, Bandage Brains! _Kongou!" _Baihumon roared, and a blast of blue energy shot from his mouth and straight towards Mummymon. The undead Digimon suddenly leaped up just in time, the blast hitting the asphalt where he once stood. Triceramon charged forward, undeterred by the larger Digimon.

"I'll take care of this!" Imperialdramon growled. He lifted a set of claws and easily caught Triceramon, lifting him up so he couldn't do any more harm to himself or the others. "Ken! Now!"

"Got it!" Ken opened his laptop and Davis opened the Digi-port. A bright light emitted from the screen, and Imperialdramon gently and purposefully pushed Triceramon through the portal.

"We got him!" Davis cheered.

"We are awesome!" Rika jumped up and punched the air.

"Okay!" Imperialdramon called. "Now we have to destroy the other Control Spires!"

"Not to mention send those other Digimon in Japan home." Baihumon added.

"How?" Davis asked as the kids jogged up. "We can travel that far without—" He couldn't even finish his sentence before a bright light shot down and sucked the three preteens into a chamber within Imperialdramon.

"Well, I guess this is one way to be eaten by a dragon." Rika joked.

"I know where the Control Spires are." Imperialdramon assured, his rockets warming up to take off. "Hang on!" He took off into the air, carrying Baihumon in his claws. He flew high up into the air and spotted another Control Spire nearby. _"Positron Laser!" _He fired a powerful laser blast from a cannon on his back.

"_Kongou!" _Baihumon launched the blast from his mouth.

* * *

><p>"<em>I don't believe it. Two of the strange monsters had a strange light hit them in a strange way, which changed them into two more strange monsters. This is all really strange."<em>

The DigiDestined kids and Gennai would've been more annoyed by the newscaster's voice if they weren't more captivated by the sight of the large dragon and tiger Digimon on Izzy's computer screen.

"Who are they?" Cody asked.

"That is Imperialdramon and Baihumon." Gennai said. "The power of Azulongmon's light is stronger than I thought. Paildramon used it to digivolve to his Mega form. And Wizardmon and Sorcermon used it to DNA Digivolve."

"Gennai, is that the same light that hit us?" Gatomon asked.

"Yes, that's right Gatomon." Gennai confirmed. "That light is one and the same. Which means you should now be able to digivolve to Ultimate."

"I can let the cat out of the bag?" Gatomon asked happily. "How cool!"

"Hey! Check it out!" Kari called, going to the window. Everyone gathered around to see two beams of light shooting down to a seemingly random spot in Japan.

"That's Imperialdramon and Baihumon." T.K. realized. "Along with Davis, Ken, and Rika."

"Yes, but I'm afraid this is too large of a task for them to handle alone." Gennai said. "You each have jobs to do. We must work together or all will be lost!"

Cody turned to the man. "I have a question: if it's really been four years, what have you been doing all this time?"

"I've been cleaning up some unfinished business." Gennai explained. "You were very young at the time, Cody, but do you remember when the Digital World appeared in the sky above the earth?"

"Yes, I remember that." Cody nodded.

"Well, unfortunately, people all over the world saw it too." Gennai said. "And they also saw the final battle with Apocalymon. Since then, scientists and military around the world have been trying to figure out a way to get to the Digital World. Can you imagine if they were to succeed? Why, people would want to travel there for a vacation like it was the Bahamas or something. Soon there would be Digimon singing Calypso music and serving fufu drinks. So, we've secretly begun changing all the data in the computers here on earth to keep the Digital World hidden."

"You said 'we'." Yolei realized. "Does that mean there are others out there like you, Gennai?"

"That's right." Gennai nodded. "Only not as good looking. My allies are positioned around the world working with other DigiDestined like you to stop this disaster."

"All right, Gennai." Izzy said. "We all understand we have work to do. All you have to do is point us in the right direction."

"We have picked six other strategic locations around the world where the Digimon have recently appeared. The other DigiDestined are meeting my allies in those spots." Gennai pointed his palm to Izzy's computer, pulling up a map with six blinking dots on it. "Those command posts are in New York, Hong Kong, Moscow, Mexico City, Sydney, and Paris."

* * *

><p>During Gennai's talk with the DigiDestined, Ken, Davis, Rika, and their Digimon traveled around Japan at lightning fast speeds. Imperialdramon and Baihumon didn't even need to use their attacks most of the time; they easily destroyed the Control Spires just with their claws or by ramming into them, and they tossed Digimon through Digi-ports effortlessly.<p>

"All right!" Ken cheered. "That takes care of all the Digimon who have appeared here in Japan!"

"Okay! Let's head back to Odaiba!" Davis suggested.

"I just got an email from Kari." Rika announced. "The rest of the DigiDestined are going to meet us at one of the islands in Tokyo Harbor."

"Then let's go!" Baihumon called. Imperialdramon teleported the preteens within him and picked up Baihumon, flying off back to Odaiba. They arrived within seconds and Imperialdramon gently set Baihumon down before landing himself. He teleported his passengers to the ground, who jumped up and down and cheered for themselves. Baihumon began to glow and shrunk down, dedigivolving.

"Aw man!" Kiimon groaned. "Back to my Baby form."

"You're cute and you know it." Rika giggled, scooping up her Digimon and hugging him. A _thud _caught everyone's attention, and they turned to see Sorcermon collapsed on the ground. Rika, Davis, and Ken hurried over to the ice Majin, rolling him to his back and trying to rouse him.

"Is he okay?" Imperialdramon asked worriedly. "He's not…."

Ken reached under Sorcermon's collar and pressed his fingers to the Majin's neck. "He still has a pulse; it's weak, but it's there. He's just out cold."

"Maybe his first DNA Digivolution was too much for him." Kiimon suggested nervously. They continued trying to rouse the limp Digimon.

_It can't be. _Rika thought fearfully. _Is it because of—?_

"What's wrong with Sorcermon?" Tai called as Gennai and the other DigiDestined arrived

"He and Wizardmon DNA Digivolved, but then they dedigivolved and now he won't wake up!" Rika said frantically.

One of Gennai's pockets began to glow, and he pulled out Azulongmon's Digicore he received. Everyone stared in awe as the orb glowed brightly, and then the glow manifested into a miniature Azulongmon, about the size of Gatomon. The holographic Azulongmon approached Rika.

"Hello Rika." Azulongmon greeted. "I suppose the DNA Digivolution worked out after all?"

"Yeah, but what happened?" Rika asked. "Why did that light hit my necklace? Why won't Sorcermon wake up?"

"I was afraid this would happen." Azulongmon said with a bit of a sad tone. "Rika, do you know why your Digimon DNA Digivolved to make a Digimon Sovereign?" Rika shook her head. "Your DNA Digivolved Baihumon is actually a copy of the real Baihumon, who guards the Western Region of the Digital World. Your actions through the years have proved yourself worthy of having such power in you possession, so a piece of my Digicore fused with your necklace, allowing your Digimon to DNA Digivolve. With Sorcermon, Wizardmon's Mega form of Dark Splashmon is 'tamed' in a sense. However, there is the matter of Sorcermon's origins."

"You mean when he worked for Arukenimon?" Ken asked.

"More specifically, the fact that he is a Control Spire Digimon." Azulongmon corrected.

"So what?" Rika demanded, a little worried. "You said so yourself that origins do not determine our fate."

"It's nothing serious like that." Azulongmon assured. "But because Sorcermon was created through magic and Control Spires, he never hatched from a Digi-Egg or evolved through the different stages up to Champion, where he's at now. Your Digimon can digivolve to his higher forms and then dedigivolve to his lower forms when he's low on energy. Sorcermon, however, doesn't have a lower form to dedigivolve to. So whenever he DNA Digivolves, it takes a lot out of him."

"So, even if we accept him as a real Digimon, he'll always be a Control Spire Digimon inside?" Kiimon asked sadly.

"I'm afraid so." Azulongmon nodded. "But do not fret; it's just something to remember whenever the two of you DNA Digivolve. And since you'll need to do it again soon to take care of your international problem, I will help you. I can give you enough power to DNA Digivolve again and then dedigivolve to your Champion forms without any problems like this one. But this gift can only be used once, so be careful when you use it!"

"We'll be careful." Rika nodded. "Thank you, Azulongmon." The dragon's form started glowing, then split into two different lights that hit Kiimon and Sorcermon. Kiimon suddenly digivolved to Wizardmon, and Sorcermon began to stir.

"You all right, Sorcermon?" Wizardmon asked.

Sorcermon sat up, rubbing his eyes. "When did I fall asleep?"

"Don't worry about it." Gatomon assured. "We have more serious issues to deal with."

"Now listen." Gennai caught everyone's attention. "The Digi-ports won't open without a D3. So Imperialdramon will take each of you to one of the six locations. I want you to join forces with the other DigiDestined and lead them into battle. You mustn't stop until all the Digimon have been defeated. Any questions?"

"Yeah, one!" Davis called. "Flying on Imperialdramon was cool and everything, but do you think we could get a movie and some of those headphone things?"

"Ai-ya." Rika rolled her eyes.

"Imperialdramon travels faster than the blink of an eye." Gennai assured. "So you won't have time for a movie, trust me. Well, my friends, good luck on your journeys. We shall meet again….soon." In a flash of rainbow colored lights, Gennai disappeared.

"Wait!" Yolei called. "Don't leave us yet!"

"He's gone!" Cody breathed.

"I'm sure he's got more important things to do than hang around here with us." Izzy assured.

"All right!" Tai called. "We know what to do! Is everyone ready?"

"You bet!" Davis nodded.

"Izzy! Wait!"

The redhead turned and blinked in surprise. "Mom! What are _you _doing here? Listen Mom, you don't have to worry about us. Although, I may be gone a while. I promise to come back as soon as I can." His mother held out a box wrapped in green cloth. "Uh, what's that?"

"When I saw all the reports on TV, I knew you'd be leaving." Mrs. Izumi said. "So I made you some rice balls for your trip."

Izzy stared at his mother, not expecting this reaction. But he accepted the box with a smile. "Thanks Mom. I really appreciate it." He looked down, his face burning. "I love you." He could tell by her smile that she loved him too. He could sense that she didn't really want him to leave, but admired her for being so strong and allowing him to go.

Imperialdramon teleported the DigiDestined and their Digimon within him and started taking off just as a larger group of people arrived to see the giant dragon. A van came screeching up and Mr. Ishida jumped out with a cameraman behind him.

"Matt! T.K.!" Mr. Ishida called, knowing his sons probably wouldn't hear. "Take care."

"Oh terrific!" the cameraman complained. "There's too much static in the area. I can't even get a picture!"

"Don't worry." Mr. Ishida said. "It's probably for the best."

Imperialdramon shot off and up into the air, higher than most airplanes, and towards each of the command bases. Despite the DigiDestined knowing this would be one of the biggest tests of their lives, they didn't feel a shred of fear. After all the enemies and dangers they faced, after everything they went through on their adventures, not to mention some of the friends they lost in the process, this task didn't seem as daunting. They had no doubt everything would work out.

Little did they know, Arukenimon and Mummymon received new orders, and were currently free to carry out those plans with Japan defenseless.


	40. Digimon World Tour: France

**A/N: I thought Rika would fit best in the France scenario. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>World Tour Episode: France<strong>

Imperialdramon did his job: he took each of the DigiDestined kids and their partners to one of the six command posts around the world, landing in America with Ken, Matt, and Davis so they could catch a plane and helicopter to their destinations. The kids decided to split into pairs, save for T.K. and Tai who were accompanied by Rika. At the moment, they stood under the Arc de Triomphe and waited for T.K.'s relative who said would meet them and help out.

"You know, I'd love to stand around and look at the decorations on the Arc de Triomphe, but I've got two problems." Tai said, shivering. "One, we've got to find the Control Spires. And two, I'm freezing out here!"

"How can you be bothered by this?" Sorcermon asked. "I wish it could be a little colder."

"Ice Majin." Wizardmon sighed.

"T.K., you told me your grandfather Michel lives here in Paris and would be willing to lend us a hand." Tai reminded his friend. "So where is he?"

"Listen Tai, if my grandfather says he's going to do something…." T.K. looked sheepish. "Well, eight times out of ten, he's gonna do it."

"What if this is one of the other two times?" Tai asked. "We don't know our way around Paris and none of us speak any French!"

"I do." Rika said. "I had a French woman live next door to me, and she taught me French in return for teaching her Japanese."

"Great." Tai said. "But that doesn't change the fact that we don't know our way around."

"I told my grandfather this time it was an emergency." T.K. assured. "So don't worry; he'll be here." Patamon suddenly perked up, and they all turned to see a single headlight coming this way, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of a motorcycle.

"Uh oh!" Agumon gulped. "Here comes one of those biker guys! And he looks pretty mean, too!"

The kids watched as the motorcycle came closer to them, Wizardmon standing protectively in front of Rika. Soon, they could see the bike's rider: a man with fair skin and sandy blonde hair, plus a short goatee and dressed in brown boots, gray pants, and a thick navy blue jacket. He stopped the bike several feet away from the kids, his blue eyes sparkling behind his biker goggles.

"T.K.!" the man called in a thick French accent.

"Grandpa! Hey!" T.K. greeted, coming up to the motorcycle.

Grandpa Michel laughed heartily. "Are you ready to sing?"

"What do you mean?" T.K. asked curiously.

"You know you have to sing Fr_è_re Jacques every time you see me." Michel said.

T.K. inwardly groaned. "Grandpa, the world's in a lot of danger!"

"He's right!" Tai added. "The future of Earth depends on us! There's no time for singing!"

"Danger or no danger, there's always time for singing." Michel assured. "Climb aboard!"

"I'll get behind Grandpa!" T.K. said quickly, hopping on the bike seat. Tai grumbled a bit as he squeezed into the sidecar with Agumon and Patamon. Sorcermon sat on the back of the sidecar, clinging to the spare tire like his life depended on it. Rika moved to get into the sidecar, but Michel stopped her.

"Such a lovely mademoiselle should not be forced into such an uncomfortable situation." Michel said, leading her to the spot in front of him on the bike. "You shall sit where it is safe."

"Oh, what a gentleman." Rika complimented, accepting the spot.

Wizardmon rolled his eyes. "This coming from the girl who loathes the idea of such chivalry."

"Where shall you sit?" Michel asked.

"I'll fly." Wizardmon answered. "I can keep an eye out for any trouble along the way. Now let's go!" He took off flying, and Michel revved up his bike and started up the motor to follow.

"Hey Grandpa, why didn't you bring Grandma along?" T.K. called over the wind.

"She was finishing up some plumbing work in ze kitchen." Michel answered. "Anyway, whenever we go for a ride on zis dhing, she always insists on driving."

"I understand." T.K. laughed.

"Besides, I have a strange feeling things are going to get a little rough here tonight." Michel added. "Dis calls for someone tough and dominating!"

"Sounds to me like she's right for the job!" Tai commented.

"There's a good chance things will get hairy." Rika affirmed. "You'd best stay out of it if you can, Monsieur Michel."

"Nonsense!" Michel laughed. "I am not afraid!"

"I don't really care who it is, as long as we find and destroy the Control Spires." Tai said.

"Zis wasn't how I was planning to spend my Christmas Eve." Michel noted.

"I know, Grandpa." T.K. said apologetically. "If all goes well, when we wake up tomorrow, it'll be just as if nothing ever happened! A nice, peaceful Christmas morning."

"Not at my house!" Michel said. "Grandma's putting up a new roof tomorrow!"

* * *

><p>"Hang on tight!" Michel warned. "She adjusted the brakes last week!" Before anyone could ask what he meant, he pulled the brakes and everyone lurched forward as the motorcycle skid to a stop. Sorcermon tumbled forward and hit the ground, his head spinning.<p>

"And this is why I prefer to fly." Wizardmon noted as he landed.

"Why did you stop, Grandpa?" T.K. asked.

"Somezhing is not right here." Michel mused.

"What is it?" Tai asked.

"It's ze gate to Versailles Palace!" Michel realized. "She is wide open!" They all took a look and realized he was right. Not only that, the palace was lit up as though someone threw a party inside, but apart from that the area looked completely deserted. "And look inside! Dhere are no guards, and she's all lit up! Ce qui se passe?"

"So what?" Agumon shrugged. "It's probably being used for one of those secret celebrity weddings."

Michel whipped around to glare at Agumon. "NO! Dis is not one of those rental halls zat serves rubber chicken!"

"I'm sorry!" Agumon said hurriedly. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"I-it was just a joke sir!" Tai chuckled nervously.

"I'm not laughing." Michel deadpanned.

"Grandpa!" T.K. urged. "Come on, let's get going!"

"It's my responsibility as a Frenchman to investigate ze matter and, if need be, to act on it!" Michel protested.

"So it's open." Tai shrugged. "What's the big deal?"

"Guys, the Palace of Versailles is like a national monument." Rika said. "It's sacred to the people of France. Like, the equivalent of a Shinto temple sacred."

"Ah, at last!" Michel sighed happily. "A foreigner who understands! Ze most important thing to the French is a good bakery! And ze second is Versailles Palace!" He turned and ran towards the palace, shouting, "Viva le France!"

"Wait!" T.K. called frantically. "But what am I supposed to tell Grandma?"

"Are you kidding?" Michel scoffed. "If she saw zis gate was left unattended, she would have someone's head on a platter! Whenever ze gate needs repairs, who do you think they call? Let's go!"

"Wait up!" T.K. called, running after his grandfather with his friends close behind.

"'Let's call my grandpa. He can help us.'" Tai mocked. "'He's an easy-going guy!'"

"All right, all right!" T.K. snapped.

"You guys can't deny that something weird must be going on!" Rika said. "I was serious about that whole 'this-place-is-Shinto-temple-level-sacred' thing. For all we know, there could be Digimon in there."

"Or T.K.'s grandpa has gone off his rocker!" Tai groaned.

"Either way, we'll never know until we see for ourselves!" Wizardmon said as they continued to run, right through the front doors to the palace.

"Prepare for the Battle of Versailles!" Michel cried. "Okay, ze second one!" the elder man didn't stop until he suddenly reached the doors to a large room. The DigiDestined stopped as well, panting a bit. "Take a look at zis."

T.K. and Tai ducked under Michel to look into the room, Patamon and Agumon ducking under the boys. Rika, Wizardmon, and Sorcermon stood beside the boys and peered inside. The long and large room held numerous decorations and beautiful features, but their focus remained on the three Digimon at the long dining table. They remained quiet, watching the Digimon gorge themselves on the food and drink before them.

"Wow, those guys eat like Boarmon." Rika scoffed.

"Who are doze guys?" Michel demanded quietly.

"That's Mamemon." Agumon pointed to the smallest of the three Digimon. "Don't let his size fool you; what he lacks in height he makes up for with his Smirk Bomb attack."

"That's BigMamemon." Patamon pointed to the largest of the three. "Don't let his size fool you either. He looks slow, but watch out for his Big Smirk Bomb attack."

"Then who's the third guy?" Rika asked.

"He's MetalMamemon." Agumon said. "Being a Cyborg type Digimon, he's the strongest of all. His Metal Smirk Bombs are iron clad."

"Oh, I hate MetalMamemon." Sorcermon grumbled. "I ran into one that wouldn't stop setting my cape on fire; he was such a nuisance!"

"They're some of the Digimon who are putting the world in danger?" Tai asked incredulously.

"Oh, zey've got a lot of nerve." Michel growled. "It's one thing to attack ze world, but to invade Versailles Palace!"

"Grandpa, you've gotta calm down!" T.K. urged.

"We can't go running in there without a plan." Wizardmon warned.

"Hey, look!" Agumon's sudden outburst caught their attention, and they hurried back to peer into the room again.

"I think there's someone else in there!" Patamon said hurriedly. They all looked down to the other end of the table and realized two extra figures joined the Mamemon trio: a Floramon and a young girl with pretty blonde hair and wearing a red and white winter dress. But by the looks of their bonds, they were clearly prisoners.

"All right!" T.K., Tai, Patamon, and Agumon quietly cheered at the sight of the pretty girls, only to earn smacks on the head from an irritated Rika.

"Ugh, boys." She muttered.

Sorcermon stared dreamily. "Wow. She's really pretty." Rika frowned and rapped her knuckles against the ice Majin's skull. Sorcermon held his head and chuckled nervously. "B-but not as pretty as you, of course!"

"Oh boy….." Wizardmon rubbed his temple, as though receiving a headache.

"She has a Digimon." T.K. said. "That can mean only one thing."

"That's right; she's a DigiDestined." Tai confirmed.

"Then we have to help her." Rika said.

"Very well! Stand aside!" Michel marched into the dining room before anyone could stop him. He came right over to the BigMamemon and glared in determination. "You there! BigMamemon! Bonjour, on behalf of ze people of ze French Republic, I charge you with trespassing and I'm hereby placing you under citizen's arrest!" He looked to the French DigiDestined and bowed. "Mademoiselle, I would greatly appreciate it if you would allow me ze honor of rescuing you."

"Oh brother." Rika groaned.

"Why don't you join us for a little dessert?" BigMamemon suggested.

"Here!" Mamemon suddenly threw one of the creamy pastries, nailing Michel right in the face.

"How did I know that might happen?" Rika droned sarcastically.

"Hey! That's not—" T.K. couldn't finish as the Digimon threw pastries in his and Tai's faces as well.

"Okay, our turn!" Wizardmon called, leading the Digimon into battle while the boys wiped cream and strawberries off their faces.

"_Agumon digivolve to….Greymon!"_

"_Patamon digivolve to…Angemon!"_

"Let's step outside!" BigMamemon suggested as he crashed through the wall and one of the windows, his two comrades following him to the lawn.

"Hey! Use ze door!" Michel cried in horror.

"Okay, that's just inexcusable." Rika growled as the DigiDestined Digimon followed their opponents outside.

"_Hand of Fate!" _Angemon launched his signature attack, which sent Mamemon and MetalMamemon tumbling backwards. Meanwhile, BigMamemon and Greymon grappled with each other, punching each other a while before Greymon threw BigMamemon into the pond nearby. Wizardmon and Sorcermon became preoccupied with helping Angemon fight against MetalMamemon and Mamemon.

During that time, Rika managed to cut the French DigiDestined and her Digimon loose. Luckily, apart from looking a little shaken up, the girl and the Floramon had no wounds whatsoever.

"Bonjour. Je m'appelle Rika." Rika introduced herself. "Je suis l'un des DigiDestined Japonais."

"Ah! Mademoiselle, I almost forgot!" Michel pushed T.K. and Tai back before they could start swooning. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I am okay." The blonde girl nodded. "I want to thank you so much; you saved my life! Forgive me, my name is Catherine. I am one of the DigiDestined here in France."

"I am just grateful you are all right!" Michel said happily.

"So are we." Rika added.

"I am fine, really." Catherine assured.

T.K. and Tai pushed themselves forward. "Catherine, how did they capture you?" Tai asked.

"Well, Floramon and I were trying to destroy a Control Spire near the Seine River." Catherine explained. "No one was around. I thought it would be easy. Then, this creature came out of nowhere and threw a bomb at us. The next thing I knew, we were prisoners here in Versailles Palace."

"You are lucky to be alive." Michel commented.

"So the Mamemon brothers aren't the only Digimon in France." Tai realized.

"Parle vou Giromon!"

They all whipped around to see a familiar face. "Oh great! Giromon again!" Rika growled in frustration.

"I remember that guy the last time we fought him!" T.K. said. "Looks like he's gotten nastier since then."

Giromon slashed his chainsaw, the makeshift weapon clashing again and again with Angemon's staff. When he had the angel Digimon distracted, MetalMamemon launched a Metal Smirk Bomb that nailed Angemon in the back. Wizardmon threw one Thunder Ball after another, but each time missed his target by inches. Giromon threw his Spinning Mine attack, the bomb clashing into Greymon's stomach. BigMamemon launched a Big Smirk Bomb, hitting both Angemon and Greymon.

Sorcermon struggled to hit Mamemon as the little Digimon whizzed about his head. "Hold still you little bug!" He swung his staff like a baseball bat, but Mamemon dodged it just in time and the flat of the snowflake ornament nailed Wizardmon's face.

"Sorcermon!" Wizardmon groaned painfully.

The ice Majin cringed. "Sorry."

"This is insane!" Rika growled in frustration.

"They're Ultimate's! We can't compete with them like this." Tai looked to his Digimon. "Greymon, you've got to digivolve!"

"You better digivolve too, Angemon!" T.K. echoed.

"And you, Floramon!" Catherine urged.

Giromon looked down and his eyes widened, shouting in terror at the sight of Rika and Wizardmon. "Oh no! It's you two again!"

"That's right, it's us! And we came with a little surprise. Wizardmon, Sorcermon!" Rika called, holding out her Digivice and making sure her Yin-Yang necklace was exposed. "It's time to DNA Digivolve! Let's do it!"

"_Angemon digivolve to….MagnaAngemon!"_

"_Greymon digivolve to…MetalGreymon!"_

"_Wizardmon…..Sorcermon….DNA Digivolve to…..Baihumon!"_

"_Floramon digivolve to….Kiwimon!"_

This time, the Mamemon brothers and Giromon didn't stand a chance. They lunged with their best attacks, but each time were beaten back and their opponents retaliated with their own attacks. Finally, the metal Digimon began to fly away in terror, only for the DigiDestined Digimon to give a chase. Tai ordered the Digimon to get them all down to the Control Spire by the Seine while the humans piled into Michel's motorcycle and took off after them. Luckily, it took little to no effort on the DigiDestined Digimon's parts to herd the rogue Digimon to the Control Spire.

"_Giga Blaster!" _MetalGreymon fired his twin torpedoes, sending them flying after the fleeing metal Digimon and knocking them out of the sky, causing them to fall into the Seine. MagnaAngemon slashed his sword and Baihumon his claws, successfully demolishing the Control Spire. Tai pulled out a laptop and T.K. opened a Digi-port, sending Giromon and the Mamemon brothers back to their homes in the DigiWorld. With the battle won, the Digimon dedigivolved and everyone cheered for themselves.

"Well guys, I'd say we just saved the world." Tai said.

"Or at least all of Europe." Rika said. "No doubt the others will succeed in their areas as well."

"The other DigiDestined are probably returning home." Catherine said.

"Grandma has probably remolded the house." Michel laughed.

"Check it out!" Rika pointed to a group of kids and Digimon on the bridge nearby, no doubt the rest of Europe's DigiDestined. They waved to their fellow DigiDestined below, who returned the gesture, calling out their greetings and calls of "Merry Christmas". T.K. and Tai gathered their courage and each kissed Catherine's cheeks, earning a deep blush from her.

"Gentlemen, let me show you ze proper way." Michel knelt down on one knee and took Catherine's hand, kissing it.

"Goodbye." Floramon blew Agumon and Patamon a kiss.

"You were very brave, Catherine." Rika complimented. "You and Floramon make a great team."

"And you make a great team with your Digimon." Catherine said, approaching Wizardmon and Sorcermon. "You two are very powerful and devoted to your friends. I am happy to have met you."

"Thank you." Wizardmon bowed politely.

Sorcermon chuckled nervously. "Thank you. You're pretty remarkable yourself. And very beautiful."

Catherine blushed again. "Why thank you! You're very handsome, Sorcermon." She kissed his cheek, causing the ice Majin's face to turn a deep shade of red.

* * *

><p>Rika, Tai, T.K., and their Digimon were sad to say goodbye to Catherine and Floramon, but they knew it was time to leave ASAP when Imperialdramon appeared to pick them up. So they waved goodbye until the Eiffel Tower disappeared in the distance.<p>

"So it sounds like everything worked out well for you guys." Rika noted.

"Yep." Ken nodded. "Now we're heading to Siberia to help Yolei and Sora with one more batch of wild Digimon."

"Oh no! They're in trouble!" Matt's voice attracted everyone to the window, and they realized he was right. Sora, Yolei, Garudamon, Aquilamon, and the Siberian DigiDestined stood helplessly in the path of some charging Mammothmon, too cold or too terrified to move in time to save themselves.

"Hurry Imperialdramon!" Davis urged.

"Right!" Imperialdramon shot down, swooping up just in time to miss hitting the Mammothmon but causing enough of a shockwave to knock them all to the ground. He circled back around and settled on the snowy ground, unloading the DigiDestined from inside him.

"Great timing, huh?" Davis laughed.

"If you like drama." Yolei sighed.

The sound of crunching snow made them turn, and they saw Gennai's Russian counterpart. "Ilya!" Yolei gasped, wondering how he managed to catch up to them from Moscow so fast.

"No time to waste!" Ilya said, holding up a laptop. "These fellas will be home in time for dinner! Digi-port, open!" A bright light emitted from the laptop, sucking in the Mammothmon and sending them home. Ilya turned to Yolei and Sora. "It was nice meeting you! You two are very resourceful. Lesser girls than you would've crumbled like a stale pirozhki, da?" He winked and then ran off.

"Goodbye Ilya!" Sora called. "Keep busy!" The DigiDestined watched as the Russian Gennai disappeared in a flash of light. Though confused by his brief appearance, they were thankful it was all finally over.

"All right then!" Davis said. "Let's go grab Kari and Izzy in Hong Kong and head home. I need a serious nap."

"Wait, we can't go home." Yolei protested.

"It's almost 5 p.m. on December 25 in Japan." Ken said. "If we're not home soon, our parents are going to get worried."

"No! I wanted pirozhki and borscht!" Yolei whined.

"What's wrong with an old fashioned rice ball?" Davis shrugged.

"But Yuri was taking us to dinner!" Sora added.

"Yuri?" Matt asked.

Sora and Yolei hugged each other, Hawkmon and Biyomon mimicking their actions, and the four of them began to cry and complain about the food they were going to eat.

"This is embarrassing." Davis groaned. "Come on everybody. Let's get out of here before their eyelids freeze together."

"Come on, guys." Rika encouraged. "Let's get home. We just saved the world; we deserve a rest. Besides, we have our families and our presents waiting back home." It took a little more encouragement, but Yolei and Sora finally boarded Imperialdramon with Hawkmon and Biyomon. The kids and their Digimon settled down, feeling all their energy drain out of them.

For a while, Rika listened to the Digimon talk about their battles from around the world. But then she noticed someone sitting off alone, staring out the window and down to the earth below: Kari. Rika quietly stood up and made her way over to her twin, smiling warmly.

"Hey." Rika greeted.

"Hey…." Kari sighed back.

"Something wrong?"

"No….it's just that….."

"Come on, Kari, you can tell me anything."

"Well, it's just that I feel something. Like a sense of foreboding."

"You think we're not done yet?"

"I think this was just the warm-up to the real battle that's soon to come."

"I think you're just riled up. From what I hear, you came close to causing a war between India and China."

"I'm serious, Rika. I'm really worried about what's going to happen."

Rika scooted closer to Kari and put an arm around her shoulders. "Nothing's going to happen. You know why? Because we'll always come out on top. That's just how things work. I bet we'll run into more trouble in the future, but it's nothing we can't handle, right?"

Kari didn't answer. She leaned in closer to Rika, sighing. "I guess I'm just tired, is all."

Rika didn't know how she felt about that answer, but she pushed the thought aside as she held Kari close and smiled comfortingly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I decided to use some of the Japanese dub for clarification on the timing in the episodes. Hope that didn't confuse anybody**


	41. Invasion of the Daemon Corps

**Episode 43: Invasion of the Daemon Corps**

"Never fear, Tokyo!" Davis cried to the harbor. "Davis has returned!"

While the rest of the group rolled their eyes at the young brunette, none of them could deny that it felt good to return home, even if they only left for the day. After the battles and all the traveling, it seemed as though months passed. But they were thankful for their victory and meeting such interesting new DigiDestined friends.

"I should've brought home a Russian souvenir." Yolei sighed. "Get me a bowl of borscht and a hot pirozhki!"

"Which way should we turn?" Davis asked, raising an eyebrow.

Yolei blushed a little. "Well, I do miss all the friends we made. Maybe I'm just hungry."

"I guess I'll catch some dinner at home." Tai agreed.

"I could eat." Rika nodded.

"But, what about….." Kari couldn't finish her sentence, staring off towards the city skyline.

"What is it?" Tai asked his sister.

"I know something really bad is gonna happen." Kari admitted.

"Ditto." T.K. said. "Arukenimon's way too evil to just give up."

"That's for sure." Tai agreed.

"Come on, guys." Rika encouraged. "We just won a great victory."

"Rika's right." Sorcermon nodded. "We should take this time to rest after so many fights. Let's not focus on the fear for the future but the great things we just did in the past."

"Well, I guess I'm due!" Davis announced, catching everyone's attention. "Doctors say that on average, the youth of today are overworked and underpaid and you got to admit, I'm way above average." His outburst was met with many confused looks from his peers, plus a face palm from Wizardmon. Davis mirrored their confused looks. "What's with you? Don't you guys watch the news on television?"

Tai smirked. "Sure. And sometimes we wish you were on TV so we could press the mute button."

"Right." Davis turned a little red. "I could be a star."

"That's what I call humble." Yolei joked, causing laughter amongst everyone except Davis.

"It's time for me to head home." Ken announced, hardly giving them enough time to wave goodbye before walking off.

"I always forget that Ken lives on the other side of the river." Davis noted.

"Ken sure has turned things around for himself." Izzy added. "It's great."

"I know." Rika agreed. "It's hard to believe he used to be the evil Digimon Emperor. I always knew he'd come back."

"It's great to have him for a friend, that's for sure." Tai said. "Come on. Let's go home."

* * *

><p>"Wow, look at this!" Rika held up a new soccer ball for Kari and their Digimon to see. "I haven't had one of these in years! Ken was a perfect Secret Santa for me."<p>

"And not just because you were in love with his brother?" Kari joked, causing them all to laugh. The five of them currently sat in Kari's room, opening their presents from the gift exchange.

"You go next, Kari!" Gatomon urged.

Kari seemed concerned. "Actually, I haven't gotten my Secret Santa gift yet."

Sorcermon gulped audibly, his hand shaking terribly as he brought a small, brightly wrapped box around. "Um….sorry….I meant to give it to you the other day but….."

Kari smiled warmly and took the box from Sorcermon. "Thanks Sorcermon. I bet I'll love it."

Sorcermon stared at the ground, still worried. "I…hope so….

Kari tore off the ribbon and the wrapping, opening the box and gasping in awe. "Oh Sorcermon! It's beautiful!"

Sorcermon seized up. "R-really?"

Kari lifted her present from the box, revealing a silver snowflake charm on a dainty silver chain. "It's gorgeous! Here, help me put it on!" The ice Majin jumped a little when Kari scooted closer to him, holding up the necklace. He took a breath to stop his hands from shaking and clipped the necklace around her neck, the charm resting on Kari's collarbone. The brunette smiled, gently touching the charm. "Thank you, Sorcermon. I love it." She kissed his cheek, causing his face to turn a deep shade of red. The girls laughed a little, only to make him blush further.

"Here, Gatomon." Wizardmon said, handing the feline a small box.

Gatomon took the box happily. "You were my Secret Santa?" She quickly ripped the paper to shreds and her eyes shined at the sight of its contents: a ball of pink yarn and a pretty ring made of quartz.

"I thought the ring would look nice, even if it can't replace your tail ring." Wizardmon said, staring at the ground. "And I noticed you staring at that yarn while we were out so…" He jumped a little when Gatomon jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug.

"Thanks Wizardmon." Gatomon smiled happily, slipping the ring onto her tail.

Wizardmon allowed a small smile to come on his lips and he pulled out two more smaller boxes from one of his pockets. "Kari, Rika, I also made these for you."

"You didn't have to do that." Kari said.

"Yeah." Rika said. "The whole point of the gift exchange—"

"I just wanted to." Wizardmon said quickly, still holding out the boxes. "It's not a big deal."

Kari and Rika shared a look, taking their presents from the Majin. They both noticed Wizardmon acting a little strangely since returning from the international battle, but they both knew he wouldn't talk about it right away. So they just opened their gifts with smiles on their faces; the grins became very genuine when they found the contents: necklaces with circular stone charms, rose quartz for Kari and obsidian for Rika, with their Crest symbols carved into the stones.

"They're beautiful, Wizardmon." Rika complimented.

"Thanks." Kari said with a smile. Wizardmon tipped his hat in response, and Kari felt a twinge of fear. Wizardmon never got so silent unless something truly bothered him, so this could be serious. Especially if Arukenimon and Mummymon still planned something.

"Say, where are Tai and Agumon?" Rika asked, pulling Kari from her thoughts.

"Out on the terrace." Kari said.

Rika stood, brushing off her pants. "I have some gifts for him and Agumon. I'll be back."

"I'm going to meditate for a while." Sorcermon announced, moving off to Tai's room. Rika walked off as well, looking back once to giggle at Gatomon pouncing on her ball of yarn. She cast a worried glance towards Wizardmon, but when she saw him laugh along with Kari, her fears disappeared and she continued to the terrace. Tai stood out there, looking out to the harbor with Agumon by his side.

"Hey guys." Rika spoke up. "I know I probably shouldn't have done this, but I bought you two Christmas gifts."

Tai and Agumon looked up as Rika passed them the boxes in her hands. Agumon pulled his open first and found a dark blue scarf. "Wow! Thanks Rika!"

"I just thought you might get cold in this kind of weather, considering you're a reptile." Rika said. "So that's for you to wear when you need some extra warmth." She looked to Tai as he opened his present and explained the gifts he pulled out. "I heard you gave your goggles to Davis, so I don't know if you still wear goggles like you used to, but I thought a lens cleaner would be a good gift just in case. And if you don't wear goggles much anymore, you can use the cloth as a napkin after eating the candy." She and Agumon laughed, but Tai only cracked a smile before returning his gaze to the harbor. Rika stared worriedly at her surrogate brother. "Tai? What's wrong?"

Tai didn't answer for a moment. "When I was in the Digital World, my friends and I fought all kinds of evil Digimon, from Devimon to Apocalymon. They were all dangerous and could've killed us if we didn't destroy them first."

"I remember you telling me about that." Rika nodded. "But keep in mind that Digimon never really die unless their data is completely destroyed, and that's not as easy as some might think. Apocalymon will never return; he self-destructed and obliterated himself. But remember when you told me about how Etemon returned as MetalEtemon? I'll bet you anything that your other enemies could very easily come back as well. You never know how long it'll take, but as long as a Digimon's data isn't completely deleted, they'll always get reconfigured and reborn through a Digi-Egg. Unless they got hit on the head really hard, they'll remember you."

Tai stared at Rika for a moment. "How do you know that?"

"Tai, I'm not saying this to rub it in or anything like that, but the fact of the matter is I spent much more time in the Digital World than you or any other human ever has." Rika explained. "You spent a month or two at the most; I spent four years there. Not only did I have a Digimon to teach me everything about the DigiWorld, I had to live in it. I've been forced to kill Digimon before because they threatened me, Wizardmon or other innocent Digimon. The first few times was hard for me; I didn't want to take the life of another living creature because I never did it before. Wizardmon helped me; he told me about reconfiguration, and from then on I was less nervous about it. If a battle went too far or if things became drastic, I would destroy the attacking Digimon to save others' lives. Not once did I destroy a Digimon unless I felt it absolutely necessary. If that was the case, I didn't hesitate."

Tai looked out to the sky. "You're very wise, Rika. And you're right; you know a lot more about the DigiWorld than any other human. I wish I could be that brave."

Rika looked to Tai. "Why are you so concerned about this?"

"It's Kari and the others." Tai said. "The new DigiDestined fought Kimeramon, Arukenimon, Mummymon, Control Spire Digimon, BlackWarGreymon, and more. BlackWarGreymon's still out there, but he couldn't be defeated. Arukenimon and Mummymon are still around, and I can't help but wonder why. The new kids could destroy Control Spire Digimon and creatures like Kimeramon easily. But I'm afraid they care too much for Digimon lives to do their job."

"What're you talking about?" Rika asked. "The second generation DigiDestined have destroyed real Digimon before, right?" Tai shook his head, and Rika's eyes widened. "Seriously? Then you're right; we might have a problem on our hands. Arukenimon won't be able to create Control Spires here in the Real World, and I doubt she'll want to continuously go back and forth from the DigiWorld to this one just for fake Digimon material. Our next opponent could be a real Digimon, and if the situation demands it, we'll have to destroy the Digimon."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about." Tai said.

"As sad as it sounds, Tentomon, Gabumon, Biyomon, Palmon, Gomamon, and I won't be able to stay in the Real World forever." Agumon said. "So we can't be relied on to destroy Digimon if the new DigiDestined Digimon aren't able to do it."

"I suppose they had good practice destroying Control Spire Digimon." Rika said hopefully.

"Except they were different from Real Digimon." Agumon pointed out. "They don't have hearts."

"True." Rika sighed. "Have you talked to any of the new kids about this?"

"No." Tai shook his head. "But Kari says she senses something bad happening soon, and I'm willing to bet this new threat will involve very real Digimon."

Rika stared out at the harbor for a moment. "We need to talk to Kari _now. _This is something we can't put off until the last minute, and if we start with Kari she can help us relay the message to the rest of the new DigiDestined."

* * *

><p>Sorcermon tiptoed down the hallway, making sure Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya still slept soundly before continuing to Kari's room. <em>I hope Kari won't mind loaning me the extra blanket. The cold is actually starting to feel uncomfortable for me. <em>He paused when he passed the living room and blinked. _That's strange. I thought for sure Tai and Agumon would be out here. They still haven't come to bed yet. _He ventured on, coming to Kari's bedroom door and raising a fist to knock on it. But he paused at the sound of voices from inside.

"So what are you gonna do?" Tai asked Kari, who sat at her desk with her back to her friends and Digimon partner.

The brunette girl sighed. "I don't know."

"Do any of the new kids know what you're up against?" Tai asked.

"I don't think so." Kari said.

"Ignorance is bliss, but not if it puts your life in danger." Rika said. "This is serious stuff."

"You may have broken some Dark Rings, a couple of Dark Spirals, but your group has got to be prepared for what you know is coming next." Tai warned.

"Well, we've destroyed Control Spire Digimon." Kari offered weakly. "How about that?"

"I know they look like real Digimon and fought like them too." Agumon said, repeating what he told Rika. "But they weren't real. They don't have hearts, you know."

Sorcermon seized up, his eyes widening and his heart….stopping…. _How can a heart stop if you don't have one?_

"Agumon is right." Tai agreed. "Can these new guys make the tough decisions we made?"

"We're just kids, Tai." Kari half-complained, half-pleaded.

"You're not just kids. You're DigiDestined." Tai said firmly.

"I know…" Kari sighed.

"Soon, you'll have to fight real Digimon." Tai warned. "And you're gonna have to win or innocent people will get hurt."

"It's our job as DigiDestined to make those decisions." Rika added. "It's not the world's most perfect job, but it's the one we're stuck with."

"Arukenimon and Mummymon are still on the prowl here in the Real World." Gatomon reminded her.

"And your group has gotta be ready." Tai said. "The whole world is counting on you."

"It's a lot of pressure, but treat it almost like a final exam." Rika said encouragingly. "It's just something you have to do."

Kari stayed silent, unable to look at any of them. Sorcermon finally moved away from the door, quickly but quietly returning to Tai's room and crawling into bed, allowing his nightmares to descend.

Wizardmon approached Kari, moving so she could at least see him out of the corner of her eye. "Kari. I would never wish such a fate on children, but it is because you are children that you are the best candidates for the job. Children, especially human children, are the world's innocence, too pure to be corrupted. It takes a long time to make a child truly evil; as long as that innocence remains, you will always be a great DigiDestined. Take Ken for example; he never knew what he was doing was wrong. You are right and kind to respect the lives of other Digimon, even your enemies, but in many cases it will not be your choice on whether they live or die."

Kari looked up to Wizardmon, her mahogany eyes locking with the dark jade green ones. "What do you mean?"

"Gatomon, Agumon, and I aren't just Digimon partners to the DigiDestined." Wizardmon said. "The DigiDestined receive Digimon partners to help them in their missions to save the Digital World. While it's a great honor to be a DigiDestined Digimon, it's also part of our job to protect our human partners. When I took Rika to the Digital World to train her, I had to keep her safe from many Digimon that threatened to harm her. And yes, I did kill Digimon…because they would've killed Rika if I hadn't. Do you think I'll hesitate even the slightest if someone threatens Rika? Do you think Gatomon will pause and think about whether or not she'll attack anyone that even _looks _at you the wrong way?" Kari didn't respond, looking back to her desk. Wizardmon suddenly swung his staff around with the express intent of hitting Kari with it, but before the sun ornament could come inches from her head Gatomon shot forward and tackled Wizardmon to the ground. Kari jumped, staring in shock.

Gatomon growled for a moment before she realized what she just did. "Sorry Wizardmon." She said, stepping off her friend. "It was just instinctual."

"No, Gatomon, that's good. I had no intention of actually hitting Kari, but that didn't matter to you." Wizardmon assured, looking to Kari as he stood. "You will be protected, Kari. No matter what. You are responsible for making the decisions that could affect other people's lives. If lives are in danger, you have to find a way to save them. Should that require the death of your enemy, so be it." Kari looked away, fighting tears. Wizardmon's usual look of a permanent glare in his eyes softened, and he came over to place a gentle hand on Kari's shoulder. "You won't be alone when you make those decisions. You'll always have someone with you. I promise."

Kari let her tears fall as she hurriedly embraced the Majin, quietly crying into Wizardmon's shoulder.

* * *

><p>"Goodnight Mom!" Ken called as he disappeared down the hallway.<p>

"Tomorrow's Saturday, so I'll let you sleep in, okay?" Mrs. Ichijōji replied.

"Thanks!" Ken nodded gratefully. He turned and walked back to his room, changing into his pajamas and climbing into his bed. His Digimon curled up beside him like a cat. "Goodnight Wormmon."

"Goodnight Ken." Wormmon yawned, settling down to sleep.

Ken stared at the ceiling, his thoughts traveling to the shadow he saw earlier, right outside his window. _I know I really did see something. _It could've been Arukenimon; she might be able to move that fast in her Digimon form. Except Ken could remember a lither figure and what looked like wings, like an angel. "Just what was that shadow?"

"Ken?" Wormmon asked, staring at his human partner worriedly. "What were you saying?"

"It's really not important, Wormmon." Ken assured. "I think we both better get some sleep."

Wormmon knew something troubled Ken, but he knew better than to push it. Every time he did, it only drove Ken further away. "Even my antennae are drooping. Goodnight Ken."

Ken didn't like to lie to Wormmon, but he also couldn't bring himself to discuss something that he didn't know much about either. For all he knew, he never even saw that shadow. "Goodnight friend."

* * *

><p><em>Ken long since became used to the sand blowing in his face. At the moment, his focus was locked on the large, dinosaur-like Digimon that Wormmon just defeated.<em>

"_Wow Ken!" Wormmon cheered. "We did it!"_

_Ken felt his chest swell up with pride. _Wormmon's the best. I couldn't ask for a better Digimon partner.

"_Hey! Get down!" Ryo shouted, pushing Ken to the sand. Ken wanted to ask what happened, but suddenly something stabbed him in the back of the neck and he shouted in pain._

* * *

><p>Ken's eyes flew open and he shot upright, jolting Wormmon awake. "You look like you saw a ghost!" Wormmon gasped worriedly. "You all right?"<p>

Ken took a few breaths. "It…was a dream…."

"More like a really bad nightmare." Wormmon corrected.

_No, we're both wrong. That wasn't a dream or a nightmare; it was a memory. _Ken turned to his Digimon, locking eyes with the large green caterpillar. "I have a question for you."

"Ask away." Wormmon nodded.

"Did we travel together about two years ago?" Ken asked, not sure if he would like the answer. "We both went into the DigiWorld desert, didn't we?"

"Don't you remember?" Wormmon seemed surprised.

"No, not really." Ken admitted. "Do you remember if I hurt my neck?"

Wormmon looked down, out of nostalgia and maybe a little sadness. "Like it was yesterday. You were hurting so much and I had no idea what was wrong with you. It was just awful."

Ken stared at his comforter, lost in thought. _So it _was _a memory. But what could've happened that hurt me so much? _"It's like I have amnesia and I can't even recall what happened then."

"That's probably for the best." Wormmon assured.

"Right after I got hurt, what happened next?" Ken asked.

"Well after that, I took care of you." Wormmon replied. "It took you three weeks to heal and then you left me and returned to the Real World."

"And that's all of it?" Ken said in disbelief.

"So you're just starting to remember?" Wormmon asked hopefully.

Ken's eyebrows furrowed. "No. All my memories are fuzzy, like something's interrupting them. But I know something happened to me that day."

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

Ken and Wormmon jumped a little, turning to the source of the sound: someone tapping on the sliding glass door to Ken's room. The raven-haired boy and his Digimon climbed down to the door, gasping softly in surprise at the sight of Wizardmon on the terrace. Ken quietly opened the door. "Hey Wizardmon. What are you doing here?"

"Not that we don't enjoy the surprise visit." Wormmon assured with a smile.

"I just wanted to check up on you." Wizardmon said. "I'm checking up on everyone to see how they're doing after the international incident."

"We're fine, thanks." Ken said with a smile.

"You sure?" Wizardmon asked. "No problems or anything?"

"Ken?" Wormmon said, indicating his suggestion to tell Wizardmon the truth.

"Well, there is one thing, but I'm not sure what's causing it." Ken told Wizardmon. "A couple years ago, I went the Digital World and somehow hurt my neck. It hasn't bothered me until tonight, but for some reason I can't fully remember what happened to me. It's like something's blocking my memories."

"Where on your neck?" Wizardmon asked. Ken turned and held up his hair, allowing Wizardmon to gently touch the pained area. Wormmon noticed Wizardmon's hand become encased in a green glow, but sparks of black electricity shocked the Majin and forced him to retract his hand. Though he didn't make a sound, Wormmon could tell the pain came as a shock. Wizardmon put a finger to his cowl, signaling the caterpillar to remain quiet, and looked to Ken as the boy turned back around. "I didn't find a break or anything. It could just be an old injury popping up again from all the stress. You might've put some strain on your vertebrae and that's why your memories are fuzzy."

Ken rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't think of what might've happened, but I sort of remember the pain. It was like a bunch of needles stabbing into my skin and digging into my bones." He smiled softly. "Maybe I just hit my neck on a rock or something."

"Perhaps." Wizardmon nodded. "I'm sure Sorcermon can use his healing magic if the pain bothers you anymore."

"Thanks." Ken said gratefully. _I might have to take him up on that offer. _"You better get home before Rika worries."

"Right." Wizardmon stood and jumped to the railing of the terrace. "Sleep well, you two."

"Goodnight Wizardmon." Ken and Wormmon bid the Majin farewell as he took off into the skies. They stared after him for a moment before Wormmon broke the silence.

"Did you notice how he didn't have his staff?"

"Yeah. I guess he left it back home."

"For some reason, that makes me nervous. After all, that staff makes him more powerful."

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Let's head back to bed."

Ken carried Wormmon back up to his bed; but as he settled down to sleep, he prayed Wizardmon would return home without a problem.

* * *

><p>Wizardmon flew over Tokyo, back towards the Kamiya apartment, staying so low he almost skimmed the skyscrapers. <em>I know I shouldn't have lied to Ken, but some sort of dark energy is popping up within him. It feels like it's been dormant for a while, but I could've sworn I felt this same energy when he was the Digimon Emperor. It's become stronger now; but why? What could be inside him that's so dark and evil…..and powerful? I've never felt anything like it. Something's not right here. I feel such strong auras in the area. Are they responsible for this? <em>The Majin sighed. "Ken…..what could possibly be wrong?"

_BAM!_

Wizardmon grunted in pain when something hard as bone slammed into him. His attacker suddenly threw Wizardmon to the ground, and he crashed onto the grass of a nearby park. Growling from the pain, Wizardmon glared up at the figure touching down before him: a red and black skeleton with large black wings, a long red loincloth, gray gloves and boots, and a long red staff with a golden orb on one end.

"SkullSatamon." Wizardmon growled, standing.

"Aw, how sweet. He actually remembers us."

A new figure touched down beside SkullSatamon, this time a woman. She dressed in black and chains, with a skull over on breast and a crudely stitched up hood over the top half of her head. One of her arms was longer than the other, with sharp red claws and the sleeve torn away to form an almost ghost-like shape next to her head. A pair of wings graced her back, looking almost the same material as her clothes. Her skin looked ghastly and grey, her hair pure white like her gleaming fangs. Her glowing red eyes locked onto Wizardmon like a cat about to kill her prey.

"LadyDevimon." Wizardmon huffed. "You're looking hideous as ever."

"And you're ignorant as ever." SkullSatamon snapped. "Siding with that Myotismon when you should've sided with us!"

"Oh, believe me, I was never on his side." Wizardmon assured. "I hate him."

"Well good news." LadyDevimon said. "Perhaps now you can reconsider the offer made by our most gracious master."

"I believe I made my decision very clear to your master." Wizardmon said firmly. "What are you doing here in the Real World anyway?"

"Master Daemon brought us along." SkullSatamon said. "We searching for the one who hosts the Dark Spore: a boy named Ken Ichijōji."

Wizardmon didn't show it, but inside he was shocked. _The Dark Spore. Those shouldn't even exist. What sort of bad luck determined Ken might get hit by one of those? _"The Dark Spore doesn't exist. It's an old legend."

"You're wrong." LadyDevimon said. "We know it's here. If you join us now, we can share in the spoils the Master has promised us."

"I would rather chew off my limbs than join your master." Wizardmon growled, turning on his heel and walking off. "Get back to the Digital World before you get yourselves into trouble."

"Oh Wizardmon." LadyDevimon laughed. "We don't get into trouble."

SkullSatamon leaped up and landed in Wizardmon's path, causing him to stop. "We _cause _trouble." The skeleton Digimon chuckled darkly. Wizardmon looked behind him to see LadyDevimon also standing in his way.

"You will join us or die." LadyDevimon said. "Master Daemon knows about your power, and soon he'll discover that you're the partner to the DigiDestined of Darkness. You would make a perfect addition to the Daemon Corps."

"I think I'll take the third option." Wizardmon said, preparing a Thunder Ball in each palm. "To escape!" He threw the explosive energy towards the two evil Digimon, giving Wizardmon the cover he needed to run. He didn't look back, but he knew LadyDevimon and SkullSatamon chased him. _Seriously? This again? Daemon's a real baby when it comes to not getting what he wants. _Suddenly, several bats latched their claws and teeth onto Wizardmon's clothing and lifted him into the air. _Figures. Of all the days to leave my staff at home. _He grunted as the bats unceremoniously dropped him on the ground in an alleyway. Standing quickly, he turned to see LadyDevimon standing between him and the exit, SkullSatamon flying above her to stop him from flying away.

"You've made a mistake, Wizardmon." LadyDevimon chuckled. "Now you're going to get it."

Wizardmon stood ready, taking a fighting stance Rika taught him. "You want me? Come get me."

LadyDevimon chuckled again. "SkullSatamon, you will make sure he doesn't escape; he is mine to destroy."

"As you wish, my dear." SkullSatamon laughed.

"_Thunder Ball!" _Wizardmon threw the attack straight towards LadyDevimon.

"_Darkness Wave!" _the Fallen Angel Digimon unleashed a swarm of flaming bats. Some were taken out by the Thunder Ball while the rest hit Wizardmon and sent him flying into a wall. He lunged for LadyDevimon again, jumping up and aiming a roundhouse kick for her head. She ducked easily, but didn't expect the swift punch to her face as she ducked.

"Why you little pest!" LadyDevimon growled. "You dare to hit a lady?"

"No." Wizardmon said. "I dare to hit you."

"Just for that, your pain will be doubled!" SkullSatamon growled.

"I will handle this." LadyDevimon assured, lunging and swiping her blood red claws. Wizardmon dodged them, retaliating with punches, kicks, and a few more storm attacks. SkullSatamon watched, a malicious grin on his face. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough blood for his taste. Then, LadyDevimon threw another swarm of bats towards her opponent. Wizardmon struggled to swat the furry creatures away, but by the time his vision cleared he hardly had time to register LadyDevimon's face two inches from his own before her smaller hand grabbed his throat. She lifted him up and slammed him against the wall, her nails digging into his neck despite his cowl still up. He gasped and struggled, fighting to break free from her grip on his throat.

"Well done, LadyDevimon." SkullSatamon chuckled, floating down to the ground behind the female Digimon. "Let's destroy him now."

"No." LadyDevimon said, flexing her claws. "I want to make him suffer a while longer. Besides, the Master wants him on his side, so perhaps we can persuade him."

"Somehow, I don't see that happening." Wizardmon growled, his voice coming out somewhat strained.

LadyDevimon raised her claws, smirking evilly. "Perhaps I should sew your lips tighter together. Maybe then you wouldn't get into so much trouble." She raised her claws and used one to pull down Wizardmon's cowl, staring at the thread almost hungrily. "I bet there's a way to tighten that up very nicely. The silent solider is the obedient soldier." Wizardmon glared hard, then spit on LadyDevimon's face in defiance. The Fallen Angel Digimon's smile disappeared, and she let his cowl bounce back up as she wiped the saliva away. Then, without warning, she plunged her red claws into his stomach. Wizardmon gasped in pain, one hand flying to the claws to wrench them out while the other hand still fought to free his throat from her death grip. LadyDevimon pushed the claws in deeper, blood running down her hand and dripping to the ground. "You should've chosen to side with us before this happened. You're only causing yourself more pain."

SkullSatamon blinked when he noticed something white falling from the sky. He looked up. "Um, LadyDevimon?"

"Why do you fight it?" LadyDevimon asked, keeping her claws deep into the Majin's stomach. "Why can't understand that you belong with us?"

"LadyDevimon…." SkullSatamon said again, sounding a little more worried.

"Shut up." LadyDevimon snapped, still staring at Wizardmon. "You are of darkness, and darkness is evil. If you join us now, Master Daemon can heal you faster than you could on your own."

Wizardmon glared hard, despite his eyes shining with pain. He gasped a wheezed a bit, but managed to force out, "Go to hell."

"LadyDevimon!" SkullSatamon said hurriedly.

LadyDevimon rolled her eyes and turned her head to the skeleton. "What?!" She gasped softly when she noticed the snow falling around them, but when she looked up she only saw a single grey cloud above their heads. In fact, the cloud rested only several feet from them. The snow fell heavily around them, covering them in a thin layer of the white stuff. Then, a wind began to pick up. The snowflakes swirled furiously around the evil Digimon until LadyDevimon finally became forced to release her captive. Wizardmon hit the ground, holding his bleeding stomach while gasping and coughing to get air back into his lungs. He hardly noticed someone lifting him up and hurrying away from the Daemon Corps Digimon.

LadyDevimon and SkullSatamon spread their wings and shot up into the sky, away from the mini blizzard that threatened to consume them. The storm dissipated to nothing, and when the two Digimon searched for Wizardmon they discovered the Majin completely disappeared.

"The Master's not going to like this." SkullSatamon said.

"Who said he has to know?" LadyDevimon huffed, flying off with SkullSatamon close behind.

Meanwhile, Wizardmon found himself preoccupied with keeping his eyes closed so he didn't throw up from the swirling colors in front of his eyes. His savior carried him to another alleyway nearby before setting him down on the ground. When he felt the cold pavement on his back, Wizardmon forced his eyes to open and discovered a familiar, white-clothed Digimon above him.

"Sorcermon?" Wizardmon rasped, still holding his stomach. "How did you….?"

Sorcermon shrugged. "Ice Illusion. Catches my enemies in a blizzard."

Wizardmon smirked. "Well aren't we full of surprises?" He groaned in pain, pressing his hand harder against the stab wounds in his abdomen. Sorcermon moved a little closer to Wizardmon, staring at the holes in his twin's stomach and the blood seeping from the tears in his jumper. Pulling off his gloves, Sorcermon muttered an incantation into his palms and pressed his glowing hands to the wound. Wizardmon grit his teeth from the pain, feeling like needles pricked his skin over and over again. But when the pain subsided, he found he could sit up with ease. Looking down, he saw his clothed looking brand new, without tears or blood stains. Unzipping his jumper a ways, he found only smooth, unbroken skin.

"You never cease to amaze me." Wizardmon sighed, pulling the zipper back up. Sorcermon didn't answer for a while, staring down at the blood on the ground. _Blood….that's what real Digimon have because they have hearts….even when Arukenimon hurt me, I never bled._ Wizardmon stared at Sorcermon for a moment. "You all right?"

Sorcermon jumped a little, jolted from his thoughts. "I'm fine. I thought you might've needed help, so I followed you when you left the apartment."

Wizardmon put a comforting hand on Sorcermon's shoulder. "Thanks. I'm glad you followed me." He stood up a little shakily. "Come on. Let's go home."

Sorcermon nodded, following Wizardmon out of the alleyway. The ice Majin looked back one more time, his eyes locked on the small puddle of blood. When Wizardmon called for him, he jogged to keep up. But as they walked in silence, Sorcermon kept staring at his gloved hands, poking them a few times. He could feel the pressure and flesh beneath the cloth, but no warmth whatsoever. Agumon's words rang through his head. _Control Spire Digimon aren't real Digimon….they don't have hearts…..so they're not really alive…._

* * *

><p>Rika hated watching the news; there was never anything good on, it was either a murder here, a robbery there, or someone fell into a river and died. Not only that, but most of the newscasters were too annoying to listen to. But since she lived in the Kamiya household, she put up with it because she didn't want to complain. As long as she kept her headphones in, it made putting up with it a lot easier.<p>

It's when the headline read "Scores of Tokyo Children Gone Missing" did Rika yank out the ear buds to listen.

"_Beginning late yesterday, police have received reports that children from all over the city are missing. Police say that scores of children are currently missing. Police fear foul play and are investigating."_

"I'd be more freaked out if we didn't have Arukenimon and Mummymon to worry about." Rika growled.

"Sorcermon, let's see if we can track down those kids." Wizardmon urged, the two Majin walking towards Tai's room. "The two of us together should be able to cover more ground faster."

"Should we not leave it to the Real World police?" Gatomon asked.

"Those guys couldn't catch a kidnapper even if their lives depended on it." Wizardmon scoffed. "Besides, this is not a normal case; I'm willing to bet anything this is a Digimon case, and nobody can help but us." He and Sorcermon disappeared just as the phone rang and Tai answered it.

"Hey Izzy, I'm guessing you heard the news?" Tai said.

"_Yep. Unfortunately we can't do much about it until we get more information." _Izzy said. _"I'll try to find out more about this and we'll go from there."_

"You're the man, Izzy." Tai complimented, hanging up the phone.

"Matt just texted me." Rika announced. "All the DigiDestined know about the kidnapped kids and want to know our plan for helping them."

"Tell him Izzy's going to get more info on it." Tai said. "We can't do much right now."

"With Wizardmon and Sorcermon's aura reading capabilities, we should be able to find them soon enough." Kari assured.

"So we're just going to sit here?" Rika demanded.

"It's all we can do for now." Gatomon said. Rika didn't like the answer, but she also couldn't argue with it. So she texted Matt what Tai told her and put her ear buds back into her ears. As her music blared into her brain, she stared out the window and to the city skyline, wondering where those kids could be and what she was supposed to do while they waited for more information.

* * *

><p>"Have you found the boy yet?"<p>

"No, Master." LadyDevimon said as she and SkullSatamon knelt before a shadowy figure.

"We thought we saw his home, but everything looks different in the daytime." SkullSatamon said. "MarineDevimon continues to search through the harbor."

"I cannot wait much longer, my servants." The shadow warned. "I want that Dark Spore, and I will have it!"

"Patience, most gracious Master." LadyDevimon said. "We'll find the boy. And we have good news: do you remember that Wizardmon you tried to recruit?"

The shadow growled. "I thought I told you to never mention that little freak again."

"But we've found him, Master." LadyDevimon said. "He's here, in the Real World."

"And I heard he's the partner to the DigiDestined of Darkness." SkullSatamon added.

The shadow paused, musing over the new information. "Well this certainly changes things. Who knows how much stronger he's become, or how strong his human partner is? But I cannot wait much longer for the boy or that Digimon. I must have them and the Child of Darkness. Continue your search; if you haven't found them within the next hour, do something to draw them out. Relay the message to MarineDevimon."

"As you wish, Master." LadyDevimon and SkullSatamon said at the same time.

* * *

><p>Sorcermon sighed tiredly as he came into the kitchen, grabbing some orange juice from the fridge. Kari approached him worriedly. "Any luck?"<p>

"None." Sorcermon shook his head, sticking a straw into his cup. He put both hands around his cup and before Kari's eyes the drink inside froze solid. Sorcermon, unfazed by the recent use of magic, pulled out the just made Popsicle and proceeded to lick it. "Wizardmon and I combined our aura reading skills and searched everywhere for large populations of children in the city. Most of them turned out to be in parks or schools; we can't pinpoint any group of kids that might be our kidnapped children. So either they're moving or….." Sorcermon didn't finish, unable to even think about it. "Wizardmon's still searching."

Kari sighed. "I'm sure we'll find them."

"I think we've waited too long." Rika said. "We should go out there ourselves and look for them."

"Rika, we wouldn't know where to begin." Tai reasoned. "It'd just be one wild goose chase."

"Can we not talk about this anymore?" Sorcermon requested, his voice a little low. "Wizardmon seems really frustrated by all this and I'd hate to make him angrier." As if on cue, Tai's bedroom door opened and then slammed shut as Wizardmon came stomping out.

"Let me guess: no luck?" Rika asked bluntly, causing Sorcermon to face palm.

"I can't track them anywhere." Wizardmon growled in frustration. "And every time I search there's this interference of some kind."

"Interference?" Kari repeated.

"Three very strong auras in the area." Wizardmon clarified. "They're overshadowing the auras of most of the people in the city. And there's another one….." He growled in frustration again. "I haven't felt an aura like it in ages. But every time I try and pinpoint its location it disappears. Then it reappears in the most random of spots."

"Maybe you just need a break." Gatomon suggested. "All this stress is only going to make you more frustrated."

Wizardmon allowed himself to collapse onto the couch, sighing heavily. _We've got to find those kids. We already have enough problems with the Daemon Corps around._

* * *

><p>"<em>You're as ignorant as ever. Siding with Myotismon when you should've sided with us!"<em>

"_Perhaps now you can reconsider the offer made by our most gracious master."_

"_You will join us or die. Master Daemon knows about your power, and soon he'll discover that you're the partner to the DigiDestined of Darkness. You would make a perfect addition to the Daemon Corps."_

"_Why do you fight it? Why can't understand that you belong with us?"_

"_You are of darkness, and darkness is evil."_

* * *

><p>Wizardmon glared at the ground, his fists clenching in anger.<p>

Rika jumped a little when her cellphone rang, and she hurriedly picked up. "Hey Matt, what's up?" Her eyes widened. "There's what?"

"What is it?" Kari asked worriedly.

Rika didn't answer, listening to Matt talk for a moment. "Okay. We'll head over ASAP." She hung up and stuffed her phone into her pocket. "Wizardmon, those auras you kept sensing? They're Digimon! Three really strong Digimon scattered all over town! We have to go!"

"Then let's go!" Tai urged. "Before the others have all the fun without us!" The kids quickly grabbed their winter gear and Rika strapped her sword to her hip, under her long coat. The Digimon waited by the door, a little impatiently, until they could all run out of the apartment, fly down the stairs, and speed down the road towards the nearest sector where the three powerful Digimon were located.

"Wizardmon." Sorcermon spoke up softly so no one else would hear. "Do you think it's those same Digimon that attacked you last night?"

"There's not a doubt in my mind." Wizardmon's answer came without hesitation.

"So how concerned should we be?" Sorcermon asked worriedly.

Wizardmon narrowed his eyes. "Very."

* * *

><p>LadyDevimon chuckled darkly from her perch on a streetlight, gazing down at the chaos her bats caused amongst the humans below her. Cars crashed into each other; people ran about screaming bloody murder; some people remained frozen in the spot and other people ran into them and forced them to the ground. The chaotic turmoil pleased LadyDevimon to no end, and no doubt it pleased her master as well.<p>

_These pathetic humans are so easy to mess with. _She thought. _So easy to scare them. Well I'll show them something to really be scared of._

"Hey ugly!"

LadyDevimon turned to see three young girls charging towards her, accompanied by a large red bird with two figures riding its back and a familiar, golden-haired angel. Instead of being worried, the Fallen Angel Digimon just chuckled. "I've been waiting for you. _Darkness Wave!"_ A swarm of flaming bats appeared out of thin air, slamming right into Aquilamon and stopping his flight. Baalmon and Sorcermon leaped off him just as the great red bird crashed to the ground, his feathers smoldering a little.

"Aquilamon!" Yolei cried.

"Yolei, this is dangerous! Take cover, now!" Aquilamon ordered.

"Aquilamon!" Angewomon called, moving towards her friend, but suddenly her hair tightened and jerked her back. The angel turned and her covered eyes narrowed into a glare at LadyDevimon, who held her golden locks in her claws.

"You better stay out of it, Blondie." LadyDevimon warned.

"Try to stop me you witch!" Angewomon snapped.

LadyDevimon seemed unfazed. "As you wish….." The old foes glared and growled a little, each one waiting for the other to make the first move. It had been a long time since they last battled, back when LadyDevimon worked for Piedmon. Only now, LadyDevimon was more than ready to finish the battle. After all, Angewomon's only backup looked to be Aquilamon, Sorcermon, and Baalmon. The Fallen Angel Digimon never suspected that the cavalry was coming.

"Attack her, guys!" Rika ordered.

"We might hit Angewomon!" Sorcermon protested.

LadyDevimon's mind raced with ways she could destroy Angewomon slowly and painfully, but her eyes soon fell on WereGarurumon and Garudamon making a speedy approach towards their friends. _Guess playtime's over._

"Let her go!" Baalmon ordered, jumping up towards LadyDevimon with his sword ready to strike.

"If you insist!" LadyDevimon laughed, suddenly disappearing. Baalmon's and Angewomon's eyes widened as the former suddenly crashed into the angel. While he managed to move his sword aside to not hurt her, he couldn't stop them from slamming into the side of a building and hitting the ground.

"Sorry about that." Baalmon groaned painfully.

"Don't worry about it." Angewomon assured.

"Where did she go?" Aquilamon demanded.

"Who cares as long as she's away from us?" Rika huffed.

"Kari, Rika, it looks like Davis is over there!" Yolei pointed a few blocks down the street.

"You're right, and Ken's with him!" Kari noticed.

"Then what're we doing here?" Rika demanded.

"Let's go, guys!" Matt called from his and Sora's perch on Garudamon's shoulder. The large bird lowered a hand and carried the humans in her palm while the Digimon charged down the road towards the rest of the DigiDestined. Even from so far away, they could see MetalGreymon, MegaKabuterimon, and Paildramon fighting a smaller figure they couldn't identify. But with a single blow, each of the Ultimate Digimon fell to the ground. Paildramon digivolved to Imperialdramon, but then they heard the smaller figure shout _"Nail Bone!" _and the dragon was hit with a yellow blast. Imperialdramon didn't move again, becoming almost like a statue.

"We have to hurry!" Baalmon shouted. "He's been paralyzed; he won't stand a chance, even as a Mega!"

"Don't worry, guys!" Yolei called as they got closer to their friends. "We'll take over from here!" Down another street, they noticed Ankylomon, Zudomon, and MagnaAngemon coming in to join the fight.

"Here comes the cavalry!" Cody called.

"I don't think so!" the opponent Digimon suddenly darted away and reappeared flying straight towards Yolei's group.

"SkullSatamon." Baalmon growled. _I should've known. How could I be so foolish?_

"Guys, be careful!" Ken shouted. "This one's not like other Digimon!"

SkullSatamon threw a blow before anyone could ask what Ken meant. The first hit was dealt to Aquilamon and sent the red hawk to the ground. Swinging his staff, SkullSatamon easily knocked aside Angewomon and WereGarurumon without breaking a sweat. WereGarurumon hit the ground and suddenly dedigivolved back to Gabumon. Garudamon quickly set her human passengers on the ground just as SkullSatamon attacked her next, causing the giant bird to dedigivolve to Biyomon. SkullSatamon darted off, no doubt to do the same to the rest of the Digimon.

"I'm gonna kill that bag of bones!" Baalmon growled, starting after SkullSatamon.

"No!" Rika grabbed Baalmon's arm. "We have more important things to worry about. Sorcermon, you think you can heal Imperialdramon so he can help us fight?"

"I can try." Sorcermon nodded.

"Then we'll go do that." Rika decided. "Baalmon and I will cover you."

"Right." Baalmon agreed, and the three of them rushed off to Imperialdramon while the others tended to their fallen Digimon.

"Come on!" Davis urged. "You gotta do something!"

"Davis, stand back!" Rika ordered as she and her Digimon approached. Sorcermon quickly came to Imperialdramon's side and focused his energy, his hands glowing green as he tried to heal the paralysis. Meanwhile, SkullSatamon made quick work of Ankylomon, MagnaAngemon, and Zudomon. A couple strikes of his staff and a Nail Bone attack forced them to the ground.

"That tears it." Baalmon growled.

"Baalmon, just stay here." Rika ordered. "You're going to have to digivolve to Beelzemon."

"Forget that; I'm going in now!" Baalmon sprinted off towards SkullSatamon. Rika shouted for him to come back, but he ignored her as he jumped up towards SkullSatamon. The red skeleton was forced to use his staff to block the oncoming attack, but he easily knocked Baalmon aside. He darted all around when Baalmon fired his gun, laughing like a maniac.

"_Nail Bone!" _SkullSatamon launched another blast from the yellow jewel in his staff, and Baalmon shouted in pain as he flew back and hit the ground. SkullSatamon laughed as he suddenly disappeared.

"Sorcermon, hurry it up!" Davis said quickly. "Who knows when he'll come back?"

"I can't!" Sorcermon growled in frustration. "None of my healing magic will work!"

Baalmon groaned as he dedigivolved to Wizardmon. Immediately after, Zudomon, MegaKabuterimon, and MetalGreymon followed suit.

"Oh no!" Tentomon groaned. "We dedigivolved!"

Agumon thought for a moment. "You know, I bet we still have some of Azulongmon's power."

"Agumon, what happened?" Tai asked worriedly.

"Uh, can I get back to you on that?" Agumon asked a little nervously.

"So where's that bag of bones, now?" Yolei wondered aloud as everyone gathered.

"Who knows?" Cody said worriedly.

"He's still here." Wizardmon assured, standing. SkullSatamon's laugh caught their attention, and they turned with horrified looks when they saw the skeleton up in the air, a bus full of children in his hands.

"Need to catch a bus?" SkullSatamon mocked. "Or maybe I should just drop the subject!" The kids inside the bus screamed and cried in terror.

"Why that little creep!" Rika growled.

"Imperialdramon!" Davis cried impatiently.

"Talk about really bad timing." Tai groaned.

"Yeah, crunch time and we get turned back into Rookies!" Agumon added.

Rika glared hard, but then she noticed someone missing. _Wizardmon? Where could he have gone at a time like this?_

"Hey, wake up!" Davis called to his Digimon. "You gotta go save those kids!"

"If he doesn't hurry, there won't be a bus to catch!" SkullSatamon taunted.

"You're a real jerk, threatening innocent kids!" Rika shouted.

"Last I checked, I didn't care!" SkullSatamon laughed. But he suddenly paused when he heard a sound behind him, and he turned his head to see a couple children running away from him. His eyes darted up to the bus, and he glared at the sight of Wizardmon climbing through the window to help the kids. "Hey!"

Wizardmon paused just as he lifted another child into his arms. "Uh oh."

"You should know better, little wizard!" SkullSatamon laughed. Suddenly, sparks of electricity shot from SkullSatamon's fingertips and straight towards Wizardmon. The Majin quickly tossed the child he held onto a nearby seat just as the electricity hit, causing him to shout in pain and fall to the floor. The kids still on the bus shouted in fear, some of them cursing their bad luck. One of them shook Wizardmon, desperately trying to get the savior to rise.

"Wizardmon!" Angewomon shouted.

"Now what do we do?" Kari asked. Nobody had an answer; none of the Digimon felt confident enough to attack in fear of hitting the bus; no genius plans came up on how to get the kids to safety. Wizardmon had the right idea with sneaking onto the bus to get them out, but now SkullSatamon knew the trick so it wouldn't work twice. They knew it was only a matter of time before the evil Digimon just dropped everything, literally, and took off.

"I think I know the reason our Digimon turned back into Rookies." Izzy suddenly said. "They've never been in the Real World for this long a time. They can't help us if they stay here. We need to get them back to the Digital World as soon as possible!"

"Then let's try it." Tai determined. It was the worst way and time to say goodbye, but they didn't have another choice.

Izzy opened his laptop and Yolei activated the gate. "All right, crew." Izzy called, sounding regretful. "Let's get going." But he and everyone else stared as Agumon, Gabumon, Tentomon, Gomamon, and Biyomon stepped towards Imperialdramon.

"All right, everybody!" Agumon called. "Let's give all the energy we've got to Imperialdramon to help him!" The five Digimon became engulfed in light, and that same light shot off like comets and into Imperialdramon. But he still didn't move.

"I'd say it's hopeless!" SkullSatamon laughed.

Sorcermon closed his eyes and focused. "No. It's working!" He held his hands against one of Imperialdramon's paws, his gloved hands glowing white this time. _I can feel it; a hidden power within Imperialdramon. If only we could bring it out!_ "We need more power somehow! It'll kick start his system and I can take care of the rest!"

"Allow us to help." MagnaAngemon offered. He, Angewomon, Aquilamon, and Ankylomon began to glow as well, and their lights passed on into Imperialdramon. Imperialdramon glowed for a moment, growling a bit.

"Well, I've seen enough of this statue." SkullSatamon said, sounding bored and looking very ready to throw the bus.

Still inside the bus, Wizardmon struggled to push himself upright. "Do it, Imperialdramon." He too, began to glow, and the white comet shot off and into Imperialdramon. A final one came from Sorcermon.

"That's it!" Sorcermon announced. "It's up to you now, Imperialdramon! Find the strength to break free!"

"Let's face it: it's now or never!" Ken urged.

"Imperialdramon!" Davis shouted. "Go for it!"

Imperialdramon gathered his strength, growling in effort and his eyes glowing red. Sorcermon felt something, like the tug of a fish on a hook. He used his powers and drew it forward, smirking triumphantly. Imperialdramon let out another growl. Suddenly, the dragon became engulfed in a white glow.

"_Imperialdramon mode change to…Fighter Mode!"_

When the light died, Imperialdramon now looked more like an armored, dragon humanoid standing on two legs with a cannon-like gun on one wrist. The Digimon and DigiDestined stared in awe.

"Fighter Mode?" Rika breathed. "That's gotta add quite the power boost!"

"Even better." Sorcermon confirmed. "His power is tripled because of this mode."

"That is definitely more like it!" Davis cheered.

"Don't forget to write!" Agumon called as he, Gabumon, Gomamon, Biyomon, and Tentomon disappeared into the computer, back to the DigiWorld. The rest of the Digimon dedigivolved and joined their partners.

"This should be cataclysmic!" Gatomon guessed. Imperialdramon turned to SkullSatamon, ready to finally finish the battle.

"Big deal! So he changed his costume!" SkullSatamon scoffed.

Wizardmon finally stood up, catching sight of Imperialdramon's new look. "Everyone get down!" He ordered, and the kids quickly obeyed as they dove under and behind the bus seats.

"_Positron Laser!" _Imperialdramon fired a blast from his gun, and before SkullSatamon could even register what was happening the blast met its mark. SkullSatamon shouted in pain and surprise before he dissolved and disappeared completely. The kids on the bus screamed, but Imperialdramon quickly caught the falling bus and gently set it down on the street. Wizardmon blasted open the doors and the kids rushed out, many of them shouting a "Thank you" to the two Digimon.

"Nicely done, Imperialdramon." Wizardmon tipped his hat to the hybrid.

"You did pretty well too." Imperialdramon said, the two of them returning to the DigiDestined.

"Way to go, guys!" Rika cheered as Imperialdramon dedigivolved to Veemon and Wormmon. "You did it!"

"Did he vanish?" Yolei asked, staring at the spot SkullSatamon once occupied.

"No way." Cody breathed when he realized it. "He was destroyed!"

"It's never easy." Ken admitted with a heavy heart. "It's always tough to do."

"With a whole bus load of kids riding on the outcome that was too close for comfort." Davis added.

Kari, T.K., and Rika stood off to one side with the original DigiDestined. Kari and T.K. looked just as remorseful, and the rest of the DigiDestined felt pity for them. "Tai, the time you were talking about has come." Kari said sadly.

"It sure has." T.K. agreed.

"It's just something we'll have to get used to." Rika said simply.

Wizardmon sensed Kari's distress, and he wished he could say something to make her feel a little better. But suddenly, his body seized up and he gasped. Everyone looked towards the dark-clothed Majin. "Wizardmon?" Gatomon asked worriedly.

_It's him…. _Wizardmon thought. _He's here….._

"You did well, DigiDestined."

They all turned at the deep, gravelly voice and noticed a glowing purple circle in the ground. A figure rose from the glow: a Digimon, no doubt, with gray hands, blood red claws, and wore purple boots and flowing red, green, and gold robes. He wore a strange pendant around his neck and his pointed hood had a small opening for his glowing blue eyes. A pair of horns sprouted from his hood and bat-like wings graced his back. The Digimon stared at them, his eyes locked on Ken in particular. But, although no one really noticed, the Digimon's eyes also flicked over to Wizardmon briefly. The Majin seized up again, involuntarily stepping back a bit.

"Who are you?" Tai demanded.

The Digimon didn't answer for a moment. "Ken Ichijōji. You must come with me."

"What? What do you want with Ken?" Davis demanded.

"You have something I need." The Digimon said. "There is a Dark Spore buried deep in your body. I must have it."

"Well then come and get it!" Ken challenged. Suddenly, he felt something tingle in the back of his neck, and he reached up to rub the spot. _Is that what hit me when I hurt my neck? This Dark Spore? _Then he remembered. _Wait. Wizardmon came to me the same night I had that dream. Does he know about the Dark Spore too? Why didn't he tell me?_

"You want him or that Dark Spore thing, you're going to have to go through us!" Rika shouted, taking out her sword. Sorcermon and Wizardmon, who seemed to get over his moment of fear, stepped forward as well and brandished their wands threateningly.

The Digimon didn't even blink. "Unless you want all your friends to suffer greatly, you better come with me, Ken."

"Wrong. You'll be coming with _me!_"

A loading truck suddenly pulled up between the DigiDestined and the new Digimon, stopping a few feet away from the group. Arukenimon stood on the back bumper, smirking evilly. She jumped to the ground and locked her eyes on the DigiDestined, not even paying attention to the other Digimon there. Mummymon poked his head out from the driver's side window, watching the show.

"And who are you?" the Digimon demanded.

"I don't really think you need to know." Arukenimon snapped. "Now Ken, it's time for us to be going."

"You expect me to go with you?" Ken scoffed. "I don't see that happening!"

Arukenimon continued to smirk as she opened one of the doors to the truck, revealing the entire cargo hold full of children. "These little tykes are eager to share the ride with you, their hero. Or are you so heartless you don't care what happens to them?"

"Kidnapper!" Ken growled. "I knew you were behind this!"

"No wonder we couldn't track down their auras." Sorcermon realized. "You've been moving them all over the city!"

"I don't see why you're so worked up, Sorcermon." Arukenimon teased. "You used to be the kind of Digimon who would do this exact same thing. I'm not that mad anymore; maybe you'd like to rejoin me."

"Go to hell, _loc weaspne_!" Sorcermon snapped back, causing many of the DigiDestined to blink in surprise at such a tone coming from the normally cheerful and calm Majin; especially Wizardmon, the only one able to understand Sorcermon's last comment. "What kind of heartless monster abducts mere children?"

"I was doing them a favor." Arukenimon reasoned. "When they heard they were going to meet Ken Ichijōji, they came of their own free will."

It was clear Arukenimon wasn't going to release the kids anytime soon, and Ken had a sickening feeling that she was right. These kids probably don't even know they've been kidnapped. But maybe if he went along with it, he could figure out what exactly Arukenimon wanted with these kids and find a way to save them in time. So with a frustrated growl, Ken reluctantly marched forward and towards the van.

"Ken!" Davis called.

"Don't, Ken!" Wormmon pleaded. "Stop!"

"I can handle this!" Ken said firmly.

"You certainly have a lot of nerve to cross the powers of darkness." The red robed Digimon's eyes narrowed.

Arukenimon turned and seemed to finally realize who the extra Digimon was. "Daemon, I'm not trying to cross anyone. I'm just a woman who's driven to take care of business, and that's no crime."

"This isn't over yet!" Wormmon snapped. But they were all forced to watch as the door closed with Ken and Arukenimon inside the van with the kidnapped children.

"I'll have to teach her a serious lesson." Daemon growled as he disappeared.

Up until then, Wizardmon watched with wide eyes. The shock of seeing Daemon again after so many years almost pushed him over the edge, but what really made him snap was the fact that Arukenimon actually got Ken. And now, the van was starting to drive off at high speeds down the road. He could sense another aura in there with Mummymon, Arukenimon, the kids, and Ken. _Oikawa….if he gets a hold of that Dark Spore…. _The Majin's irises and pupils constricted. "NO!"

"Wizardmon!" Rika called as her Digimon began running down the road after the van. "Come back!"

"Ken!" Wizardmon shouted, his eyes locked on the van. "Ken!" _I can't let him get hurt. I have to protect him. If he really does have that Dark Spore in him, Oikawa can't get it. _"I won't let him win this time." He growled. The Majin suddenly pushed off the ground and began flying. Davis, Veemon, Wormmon, Rika, and Sorcermon chased after Wizardmon, but all of them jumped a little when he suddenly took off and shot after the van at high speed.

"Wizardmon!" Rika shouted.

"Stop!" Sorcermon chimed in.

"Ken, come back!" Wormmon pleaded.

"Arukenimon, you'll never get away with this!" Davis shouted. "Ken! _Ken!"_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: That last comment from Sorcermon is part of a Majin language I made up. Translation:**

**Loc weaspne – damn spider**


	42. Dark Sun, Dark Spore

**Episode 44: Dark Sun, Dark Spore**

"Come back here!" Davis ordered as they kept running after the van. "You won't get away with this! Bring back Ken or I'm taking you down!"

"You better get back here!" Rika demanded.

"Stop you kidnappers!" Davis yelped when he suddenly tripped and hit the ground, causing the others to stop and help him.

"You all right?" Sorcermon asked.

"I knew I should've done those extra laps in P.E." Davis groaned. The van pulled far ahead, but suddenly a yellow Volkswagen Bug stopped beside them.

"Help's here!" Yolei called from inside the car. "Jump in!"

"Awesome!" Davis cheered. He and Rika managed to squeeze into the shotgun seat with Wormmon and Veemon in their laps while Sorcermon jumped in back with Kari, T.K., Yolei, Cody, and their Digimon.

"Jim Kido, you're the man!" Rika smiled at the driver as the car took off down the street.

"Anything for one of Joe's friends." Jim assured.

"So you're Joe's brother, huh?" Davis guessed. "But you're kinda cool."

"That's me." Jim confirmed. "Joe told me you guys were having some issues with some Digimon, so I thought I'd lend a hand. He and the other DigiDestined are cleaning up the mess left by some guy named SkullSatamon. They said to wish you guys luck and instructed me to make sure you guys got home safe tonight. Kari, T.K., and Rika, Tai and Matt will make up some cover story if things run late."

"Perfect." Kari nodded.

Rika stared ahead, glaring a bit. "I don't see Wizardmon anymore. He must be in the van already. At least we can take comfort in knowing Ken's got backup in case things go awry."

"Poor Ken." Wormmon whimpered, close to tears.

"Don't get bent out of shape, pal." Davis encouraged. "Now that we got these cool wheels, we'll catch 'em!"

"That's right." Kari agreed. "It's under control. Just trust us."

Wormmon still seemed concerned, and for good reason. He hated the idea of Ken all alone with that horrible Arukenimon. But Rika was right; he felt a little more at ease knowing Wizardmon was there with his beloved partner.

_Watch over him, Wizardmon. Please protect him._

* * *

><p>"All right, Arukenimon." Ken growled, feeling a little wobbly from standing on a fast-moving vehicle. "It's time you let these kids go. I gave myself up so you would release them."<p>

"Oh right." Arukenimon chuckled darkly. "Well, I'm afraid there's been a change of plans."

"What?" Ken gasped softly.

"Did you really think I kidnapped all these kids just to get you to come with me?" Arukenimon laughed mockingly. "If we really just needed you, we would've kidnapped you days ago."

Ken glared hard, but he and everyone else in the van stopped and blinked in surprise at the sound of something hitting the door hard. There was a pause, and then the sound of rhythmic knocking.

"Davis?" Ken murmured.

"Now who on earth could that be?" Arukenimon asked no one in particular as she marched up to the door. She opened it and looked around to find no one. "Hello?"

_BAM!_

Ken jumped as Arukenimon flew back and hit the floor of the van, and Wizardmon darted inside. He brandished his staff threateningly, glaring murderously at Arukenimon.

"Wizardmon!" Ken gasped.

Arukenimon lunged for the Majin, who ducked away just in time and hurried to Ken's side. Arukenimon quickly shut the door and locked it, smirking triumphantly. "Was it part of your genius plan to be stuck in here?"

"Shut up you pathetic excuse for a spider." Wizardmon growled.

Ken glared at Arukenimon. "We made a deal but you double crossed me!"

"Sorry, it's a bad habit of mine." Arukenimon said without a hint of sincerity.

"You promised to let these kids go free!" Ken growled.

"Oh that." Arukenimon shrugged. "Well it hardly seems necessary, don't you think? Do you little twerps—I mean, kiddies, want to go home?"

Much to Ken's and Wizardmon's surprise, the children slowly shook their heads, almost robotic-like. "Why not?" Ken asked.

One of the young boys stepped forward, looking no older than eight with wavy brown hair, dark blue eyes, and wearing a turquoise jacket. "We're just dying to know: are you Ken Ichijōji?"

"Yes, what about it?" Ken replied.

"I knew it." The boy said, not answering Ken's question. "Wow. I've heard all about you. You're smart and you rule at sports. I bet you could do just about anything if you really wanted to. It'd be awesome to be like that." The boy spoke with little emotion, despite sounding truly amazed at meeting Ken.

_What's with these kids? _Wizardmon wondered. _They're auras are healthy and of course they're real and not some sort of Control Spire kids. But they're acting so disconnected. It's like they don't even realize what's happening. What did Arukenimon do to these kids? Or did Oikawa do something to them?_

"Then I met this man." The boy continued. "And he told me he knew a way I could do it."

"What man?" Ken asked. A soft, dark chuckle rang out through the small space, causing Ken to seize up a little.

"You can't blame me, can you?" the voice said. "After all, it seems everyone wants to be just like you." A single lamp provided lighting in the space, but it didn't stop the immense shadows from hiding the owner of the voice. Despite the tingle in Ken's spine, he glared hard and stood strong. Wizardmon stepped in front of him, readying his staff.

"Who's that?" Ken demanded.

"It's me, of course." A man stood up from the crowd of children, wearing a purple trench coat, red dress shirt, and black tie. His shoulder-length hair was pitch black and his eyes such a dark brown they looked black as well. His skin looked ghastly and grey, or maybe it was just the dim lighting giving that effect.

"Me who?" Ken demanded again. Wizardmon stepped closer to Ken, his glare not leaving the man in front of them.

"What? I'm so insulted." The man clearly wasn't. "Don't tell me you don't remember me. I'll give you a hint. We were introduced at your brother's funeral."

"At my brother's funeral?" Ken repeated. "What are you saying?"

"You remember that." The man assured. "Just think about it."

Ken didn't want to, but his curiosity forced him to flash back to the day of his brother's funeral. He could remember holding Sam's picture for dear life, and his parents bowing to people and thanking them for their condolences. Looking over the crowd, he could see plenty of people he knew very well and some he didn't know very much at all, most of them his parents' fellow co-workers. He remembered scanning the sea of people, secretly hoping he'd see Rika and her family there to support him. Instead, he saw a man that grinned at him almost creepily, and it scared him so much he couldn't even take his eyes off him. Off the man…with slick black hair, ghastly gray skin, and dark eyes.

Ken gasped. "I've seen your face!"

Wizardmon looked equally as surprised, turning to the boy. "Ken, you _know _him? How?"

"I'm not sure." Ken hardly finished his sentence when the van suddenly jerked and swerved, almost sending them all to the floor.

The man glared and kicked the wall. "Hey Bandage Boy! What's the matter, can't you drive straight?"

Had he known, the man would've realized Mummymon was in quite a predicament. "Egad, I'm blind as a bat!" Bad pun aside, Mummymon quickly activated the windshield wipers to shoo the swarm of bats away from the windshield and kept driving.

* * *

><p>The DigiDestined riding with Jim gasped when they saw the column of light erupting ahead of them. Jim swerved a bit, but stood straightened out and continued after the van.<p>

"That was some crazy speed bump!" Armadillomon gulped a little.

"That was LadyDevimon." Gatomon corrected, her fur bristling.

Kari glared in determination. "Stop the car! Let's get to work!"

Jim quickly pulled over and Gatomon leaped out. She turned to the DigiDestined with a determined yet unsure glare. "I have to ask you a favor!" Everyone stared at the cat, a little surprised. "This is sort of embarrassing, but here it goes: I'm just not strong enough to hold back LadyDevimon. Would you mind giving me a little boost?" She looked to Hawkmon especially at that last part. She hated that she wouldn't be able to digivolve to Ultimate again, but with Silphymon the job shouldn't be a problem.

"I'd be more than happy to oblige." Hawkmon agreed. He looked to Yolei. "But it's up to you. Do you approve?"

Yolei seemed very unsure, obviously still shaken from what happened to SkullSatamon. "Just try to stop her. That's all. But be careful. Do not destroy her."

_We may not have that option. _Rika thought. "I'm coming with you guys."

"I as well." Sorcermon added.

"But Sorcermon, you and Wizardmon may need to DNA Digivolve when we catch up." Cody reasoned.

"We won't be able to DNA Digivolve _until _we catch up." Sorcermon reasoned. "Right now, Wizardmon just needs to protect Ken until we get there. So I'll help Gatomon and Hawkmon however I can."

"You sure?" Veemon asked.

"Wizardmon's a really strong Digimon." Sorcermon assured. "He doesn't need me."

A round of shaking caught their attention, and they realized they were wasting time by just talking. "You better make up your mind." Kari urged. "It's getting ugly out there."

Yolei still seemed unsure. "Okay….." She, Kari, Rika, and their Digimon jumped out of the car.

"You don't have to worry about a thing." Patamon assured.

"Be careful!" T.K. called as the car drove off.

"LadyDevimon needs a lesson in manners." Kari said, the determined glare back in her eyes.

"I'm there!" Hawkmon saluted.

"_Hawkmon digivolve to…Aquilamon!"_

"_Aquilamon…..Gatomon…..DNA Digivolve to…..Silphymon!"_

"Sorcermon, you come with us." Silphymon instructed. "Rika, Yolei, and Kari, you three stick together and protect each other!"

"Right!" the girls nodded. Sorcermon hopped onto Silphymon's back, clinging to the hybrid's shoulder pads, and they took off into the sky. _Don't look down don't look down don't look down. _Sorcermon kept repeating in his head.

"Sorcermon." Silphymon's voice brought the ice Majin from his thoughts. "Don't worry; we won't let you fall. Just stay strong and we'll beat her."

Sorcermon took a breath and smiled under his cowl. "Okay. Let's do this!"

"You sure you and Sorcermon shouldn't have followed Wizardmon?" Yolei asked Rika as the girls followed their Digimon. "We may need Baihumon."

"One problem at a time." Rika said. "If things get really difficult on Wizardmon's end, he can take care of things."

"How can you be so sure?" Kari asked worriedly.

Rika bit her bottom lip. "I'm not sure it's something we should worry about right now. Let's just say, Wizardmon has a 'special ability' that will help him if the situation demands it."

* * *

><p>The van jerked again as Mummymon dodged another one of LadyDevimon's blows. Inside the cargo hold, the humans and Digimon somehow managed to stay on their feet and not get thrown to the floor. Wizardmon made sure to stay in front of Ken, determined to not let any harm come to the boy. But, though he wouldn't admit it to even himself, he felt a twinge of fear at being this close to his old enemy again. No matter how determined he felt to beat him this time, a small voice in the back of his head told him he wouldn't succeed.<p>

"My name is Oikawa Yukio." The man finally introduced himself to Ken. "I was a friend of your father's."

"A friend?" Ken scoffed in disbelief.

"We had what you'd call a working relationship." Oikawa said.

"I had no idea…" Ken trailed off. He didn't know very many of his father's friends at work, but he knew he never met Oikawa before.

"You were beside yourself at the funeral." Oikawa continued. "So it's no surprise you didn't notice me. Maybe this will spark your memory." He smirked darkly. "Your brother's end was unfortunate, but perhaps it was an unlucky twist of fate. Only he knows the truth."

Ken gasped deeply, realizing this man quoted word for word the email he received just before he went to the DigiWorld and got the Dark Digivice. "It was you. You sent the email."

"What email?" Wizardmon demanded. "Ken, how do you know him?"

"I always knew you were intelligent." Oikawa sneered. "I was very concerned about you and thought it would be a comfort to you."

Ken glared again. "And what made you think that?"

"You don't care for anyone but yourself!" Wizardmon snapped at Oikawa. "You contacted Ken because he had something you wanted; because you could use him for whatever plan you had. You took advantage of a kid who just lost his brother!"

"Now, now, little slave." Oikawa said. "Don't forget who you're talking to."

"I know exactly who I'm talking to." Wizardmon growled. "The monster who took my life from me. Shall I tell Ken the details?"

Oikawa's dark grin faltered only slightly. "Like I said: don't forget who you're talking to."

Suddenly, Wizardmon let out a choked gasp and he dropped his staff, his hands flying to his throat. Ken stared in shock as Wizardmon fell to his knees, struggling to breathe. His mind raced, trying to think of how he could help his friend. But he could only stand there and watch as Wizardmon's strangled gasps turned into wheezing and strained breaths.

A new sound reached their ears, causing everyone except the kidnapped kids to look up towards the source. Distracted, Oikawa's control finally broke off Wizardmon and the Majin gasped from the pressure being released from his throat. He coughed a few times, and Ken knelt down beside him and placed a comforting hand on the Digimon's back.

"Check it out." Oikawa ordered Arukenimon.

The spider woman nodded and walked to the door, opening it and peering outside. Oikawa joined her and they stared up at LadyDevimon fighting two other Digimon soon identified as Silphymon and Sorcermon. LadyDevimon and Silphymon lunged at each other with blow after blow, but neither of them showed any signs of fatigue or injury. Sorcermon, still clinging to Silphymon's back, threw a few rounds of his Crystal Barrage, but each time he missed.

"If you could describe LadyDevimon, what would you call her?" Arukenimon asked.

"A pain." Oikawa replied, turning to Ken and Wizardmon as they began to rise to their feet. The boy looked very surprised to see Arukenimon obeying someone else's orders. "Ken. These two are simply assistants of mine. Of course, they're both very powerful themselves, but if I sing their praises it go straight to their heads. Right?"

"Yeah." Arukenimon agreed nonchalantly, bowing to her master.

It clicked in Ken's head. "So you're the one that controls Arukenimon and Mummymon. You had Rika's Crest and Digivice. And you're the one that hurts Wizardmon every time he tried to talk about you!"

Oikawa still smirked. "Interesting. I thought I had stopped him every time he tried to talk; you have no idea how many times I came close to actually killing him. How on earth did you make the connection?"

"Enough games!" Ken snapped. "I want you to tell me exactly who you are and what it is you want with me here."

Oikawa's grin took a turn for the crazy. "Do you now?"

Wizardmon suddenly shot forward and swung his staff around with the express intent of bashing Oikawa's head in. Oikawa ducked, stepping away just in time. Wizardmon started towards him again, but he felt that same force constricting his throat and he struggled to breathe. Ken leaped forward and shoved Oikawa aside, causing him to lose his focus and release Wizardmon again. Oikawa brutally shoved Ken to the ground, jumping back when Wizardmon swung his staff again. The man landed a firm punch to Wizardmon stomach, but the Majin managed to jump up in seconds and kick Oikawa into the side of the van. Suddenly, the sound of a train rang out, and the car swerved a bit again. There was the sound of crashing, and then the car straightened out again.

Wizardmon gasped softly. "The DigiDestined."

"What's wrong?" Ken asked.

"Davis, T.K., and Cody have been following us for a while, but their auras suddenly stopped." Wizardmon explained. "They must be caught behind that train we passed."

"Aw, such a shame." Oikawa mocked. "Looks like no rescue is coming for you now."

Wizardmon glared and lunged again, but the choking sensation returned. This time, he stumbled and hit the ground, too focused on trying to breathe to rise again. Ken hurried to Wizardmon's side, glaring at Oikawa.

"Stop it!" Ken ordered. "Just stop hurting him!"

"He's hurting himself." Oikawa reasoned. "I'm not laying a hand on him."

Ken still glared. "Just leave him alone! You can do whatever you want to me, but leave him alone!"

Oikawa raised an eyebrow, and suddenly Wizardmon gasped deeply and coughed. He struggled to push himself upright, still coughing a few times.

"How interesting." Oikawa mused. "So willing to give yourself up for a pathetic creature like him."

* * *

><p>Ken started regretting his decision to give himself up to Oikawa. He'd been sitting on the cold floor of the van for what felt like hours. Oikawa used Ken's white scarf to tie the boy's wrists and forearms together behind his back to keep him restrained. Arukenimon secretly spun some of her webs in her hands and bound Wizardmon's arms the same way, attaching the sticky webs to the handles of the door. Not that the kidnapped children noticed. The entire time, they stood back in silence and watched everything unfold in front of them without any signs of even registering the actions. It didn't look like they enjoyed watching Ken and Wizardmon tortured; actually, it looked like they weren't really there at all. Almost like they were all caught in an intense daydream they couldn't wake up from. Some time ago, the van stopped moving and Arukenimon left Oikawa to his work.<p>

"Why do you want me?" Ken demanded, struggling futilely at his bonds. "You must have some reason for keeping me tied up like a pretzel!"

Wizardmon didn't move nor speak, glancing at his staff propped up in the corner. _If only I could reach it._

"Ever since I first saw you, I knew you had something special." Oikawa explained. "A dark spirit deep inside. If I planted the Dark Spore, I knew that it would be able to grow."

"You're not making a lot of sense." Ken growled. "What Dark Spore?"

"I had intended to use the DigiDestined of Darkness for it, but it seemed she disappeared off the face of the earth and I knew I had to find a new place to plant that spore." Oikawa smiled evilly. "It's a magnificent device. It makes a person smarter and better at sports. Well, that's powerful if you really think about it."

_Is that why I suddenly became the genius when Sam died? _Ken realized. _I thought I was just working hard and things always came easy for me. Could it be that it was all just because something was put inside of me? _The thought only made Ken angrier.

"These kids were excited when I told them what the Dark Spore had to offer." Oikawa continued. "They believed me and want to be just like you. So I had you brought here in order to grant them their wish. The Spore planted inside you found fertile soil in which to grow." From his pocket, Oikawa produced what looked like a hand scanner used in the supermarket. His smile turned sinister. "I'm going to borrow some of it to implant in these children. You have plenty."

Ken smirked. "You want my opinion? You're as mad as they come."

Oikawa stepped over to Ken, his eyes shining with malice. "Don't worry. I promise you won't feel a thing. All it is, is some data that will be transferred electronically. Just pretend you're a box of cereal, and I'm scanning your barcode."

Wizardmon's eyes widened. "No! Don't touch him!"

"I'd love to know how you're going to stop me." Oikawa said sarcastically. He knelt down behind Ken and firmly gripped the boy's shoulder. Ken growled in anger, and then in pain as Oikawa pressed the scanner to the back of his neck, where the Dark Spore hit him long ago.

"Ken!" Wizardmon shouted, struggling against his bonds.

"Hold still." Oikawa ordered the boy, keeping the device firmly against the boy's neck.

Ken struggled, the pain shooting up and down his spine. "Where's Davis?" He whispered. "Wormmon?" He suddenly felt numb, and darkness consumed his vision as he collapsed to the floor.

Wizardmon finally managed to grab the webs tying him to the door handles and cut them loose with a compressed Thunder Ball. Even with his arms still bound, Wizardmon charged forward and rammed his shoulder into Oikawa, knocking the man aside and away from Ken. Oikawa glared at Wizardmon for a moment, but then laughed evilly.

"How noble of you, Wizardmon. But you're too late." He held up the scanner. "I have everything I need." He turned and walked over to the children, leaving Wizardmon to only kneel down beside the fallen Ken. The boy looked unharmed, for the most part. Wizardmon shook a little, both angry at Oikawa and himself.

_He got the Dark Spore. Who knows what he'll do with that kind of power? I could've stopped him but I didn't. I should've found some way to stop him from doing this but I'm just too weak to do it._

"I'm sorry, Ken." Wizardmon whispered. "I failed you."

* * *

><p>High over the city, Silphymon and Sorcermon continued to battle with LadyDevimon. Despite fighting for so long, none of them backed down in the slightest. If any of them felt any tiredness, they either refused to show it or they just didn't feel it through the adrenaline rush.<p>

"_Ice Illusion!" _Sorcermon twirled his staff around, creating a small snowstorm that wrapped around LadyDevimon in an icy, stormy cocoon. But the Fallen Angel shot up out of it and the storm dissipated.

"I won't be falling for that again!" LadyDevimon growled. _"Darkness Wave!" _The swarm of bats flew right for them, but Silphymon managed to duck down and out of the way.

"Hang on, Sorcermon!" Silphymon called.

"No problem there!" Sorcermon whimpered.

Kari, Rika, and Yolei ran on the ground, following the battle and keeping a close eye on their Digimon. "How can she be so strong she can take on all of our Digimon?" Yolei wondered aloud.

"She's only an Ultimate, but that doesn't make her any less powerful." Rika reasoned. "Digimon have varying levels of power, often not depending on their level. It's just like Gatomon's and Wizardmon's levels of power even though they're just Champions."

"That's very informative, but it doesn't help us figure out how to beat her!" Yolei said.

"Maybe if we…." Rika's eyes stayed locked on the fight. "How _do _we help them? None of us can help on the ground. For now, let's just keep our eyes on the battle.

"If only we could see what was happening." Kari said. "It's too dark to really see anything."

Rika looked around before something caught her eye. "This way!" She took a sharp turn, leading her friends to a nearby skyscraper.

"_Static Force!" _Silphymon launched the energy sphere, but LadyDevimon dodged it and shot towards them, slamming into the hybrid. Sorcermon gathered his bravery and moved to stand on Silphymon's shoulders, swinging his snowflake-topped staff around and hitting LadyDevimon's head. The black angel shouted in pain as she tumbled to one side.

"Nice shot, Sorcermon!" Silphymon complimented. Sorcermon smiled proudly, chuckling a little nervously. Suddenly, there was a flash of black and Sorcermon disappeared off Silphymon's shoulders. "Oh no!" Gatomon's voice cried from Silphymon. "Sorcermon!"

The ice Majin desperately tried to pull LadyDevimon's hand off his neck, fighting to break free. "You little pest." LadyDevimon growled. "Someone should teach you a lesson."

Sorcermon narrowed his eyes and jabbed the end of his staff forward, hitting LadyDevimon's stomach and then hitting her head again. Her grip loosened enough for Sorcermon to pull her forward so he could climb onto her back. He kicked off the Fallen Angel Digimon, aiming his staff for her.

"_Crystal Barrage!" _the shards shot right for LadyDevimon, hitting their target and causing her to scream in pain as she began to fall. Sorcermon shouted in terror as he too began free falling, but Silphymon flew in just in time to catch him.

"Well done, Sorcermon." Aquilamon's voice said.

"Yeah, that was cool." Gatomon's voice agreed.

Sorcermon shook a little. "That…was…..terrifying…."

Kari, Yolei, and Rika finally reached the top floor of the building and hurried over to the people standing at the windows, all of them murmuring worriedly.

"That doesn't sound good!" Yolei groaned. "Can you get a look?" The three of them peered through gaps between people, trying to locate their Digimon.

"Yeah." Kari confirmed. "They're still going at it."

"Well that's good news." Yolei said, half-sarcastically. "Who's winning?"

"Um…can't tell." Kari admitted.

"_Static Force!"_

"_Crystal Barrage!"_

"_Darkness Wave!"_

The bats proved to be too much for Silphymon and Sorcermon this time, and they suddenly began falling out of the sky. LadyDevimon laughed evilly, chasing after her opponents. Silphymon turned to see the ground approaching fast, and realized Sorcermon would take the brunt of the impact. Thinking quickly, the hybrid grabbed Sorcermon and tossed him to one side, causing the ice Majin to hit a tree that more or less broke his fall. Silphymon smashed into the ground, leaving a small crater and catching plenty of attention from the teenagers around it.

"Hey, you okay?" one of them asked, kneeling down and offering a hand.

"I'm fine." Silphymon groaned, in pain. "But get me out of here! How humiliating."

"Wow! I bet she was at the costume party too and won first prize!" the teen's friend said, and Silphymon looked over to see LadyDevimon appeared.

The first teen looked over. "Sweet…" he seemed completely mesmerized by LadyDevimon.

"Watch it!" Silphymon warned, too weak to get up. "She's dangerous!"

"I don't get it, dude." The teen shrugged. "She's pretty."

"Stay away!" Silphymon ordered. Too late, the teen realized the creature spoke to the woman and not him; LadyDevimon wrapped an arm around his throat and lifted him up and away from the fallen Digimon hybrid.

"This is convenient." LadyDevimon mused. "Do you like being my shield?"

Silphymon growled, more out of frustration than anger. It was bad enough that the hybrid felt too weak to move, but now it couldn't attack with LadyDevimon using a human shield. Sorcermon struggled to get out of the tree he was caught in, either too weak or just flat-out tangled up.

_We're in trouble now._

* * *

><p>"All right, which one of you kids would like to be next?"<p>

Oikawa's voice brought Ken to his senses, and he looked up towards the man. He had to blink a few times to clear his vision, but he could see Oikawa scanning the children's necks, downloading the Dark Spore into them.

"Well I'm ready!" one of the boys said as he approached.

"No….." Ken groaned. _He's just trying to trick you. Can't you see that? It's not like you think it'll be. You don't wanna be like me!_

"Ken?" Wizardmon said softly. "You all right?"

"Those kids….." Ken groaned painfully.

Wizardmon stared at the ground. "I'm sorry, Ken."

Ken looked over to Wizardmon. "What're you talking about? It's not like you helped get that Dark Spore out of me."

"I could've done something to stop him." Wizardmon said.

"You did everything you could." Ken assured. "I couldn't ask for more." He glared at Oikawa. "This is all his fault." He and Wizardmon glared at Oikawa as he finished putting Dark Spores in each of the children.

Suddenly, the van jerked as it shot backwards and then forwards, speeding away and down the road. Oikawa made a "hmph" sound. "That pesky Daemon. Like a child wanting his toy, he never gives up until he gets what he wants." He smirked. "Then again, he reminds me so much of myself."

"You mean besides the part about both of you being monsters?" Wizardmon growled.

Oikawa sighed. "I'm starting to seriously think about how I can tighten that thread around your mouth so I don't have to hear you speak. I just don't understand why you keep talking that way when you know it only causes you pain."

Wizardmon narrowed his eyes. "You know what? I don't understand it either." Oikawa paused, staring at Wizardmon. Ken looked to Wizardmon as well. "I don't understand why I waste my breath on you, almost like I'm trying to convince you to see what everyone else knows except you. I could tell you a thousand times, but you'd never listen. You follow a path that you believe is your destiny, when in reality you're just taking the path that leads to more power. At one point in my time spent knowing you, I thought maybe I could steer you away from that path, to help you. Why? I don't really know. I felt pity for you, I guess. Because I once came close to going down that path but was saved just in time. Maybe I thought I could do the same for you." He looked down. "But now I see I can't. So I'll do you a favor; I'll stop trying."

"That's the first smart thing you've done since I've known you." Oikawa mocked.

Wizardmon glared at him again. "But…I will never, _ever_, stop fighting you. Not until you're finally beaten," His glare deepened, if it was even possible. "….._tu loc sohatrea."_

Oikawa's irises and pupils constricted and Wizardmon fell to the ground as the choking sensation started again. Ken's senses got a jumpstart and he hurriedly moved to a more upright position. He didn't have the slightest clue what Wizardmon told Oikawa, but it must've been pretty insulting.

"Stop it!" Ken shouted. "Stop hurting him!" Oikawa narrowed his eyes, releasing the Majin. Ken growled in anger. "What kind of sick person does that? Do you enjoy it or something?"

"Immensely." Oikawa replied simply.

Ken was about to snap at him when he realized something. Earlier, he could hear a monstrous Digimon chasing them, but now he didn't hear anything. "Where are you taking us anyway?"

"To a very special place." Oikawa replied cryptically. "A place where we could go to a land like no other." He stared off into space. "Did you know?" His voice came out soft, almost like a child's, and Ken could hardly hear it over the roar of the van's engine. "Did you know I've always wanted to see the Digital World?"

Wizardmon's eyes widened. _No…..he can't be thinking of that place….surely the gate doesn't exist anymore…right?_

"I think Highton View Terrace is much too cheery of a name." Oikawa's voice returned to its normal harshness. "I say they rename it Dark View Terrace instead. That's much more appropriate." He noticed Ken's unamused look. "I'm surprised! I thought you'd appreciate my humor. I suppose you think you're a superior human being! Well you should think again!" He laughed evilly, only to see the same look on Ken's face. "The face of disdain. Look how he turns his nose up at us. You could learn something from all this, kids. This is an example of how your exalted hero gives the cold shoulder to those less worthy than himself."

Ken looked away, glaring at the ground. Wizardmon awkwardly pushed himself to his knees. "Even as a child….Ken is a better and stronger man than you'll ever hope to be, Oikawa." Oikawa huffed, looking bored.

"You're wrong."

Wizardmon and Oikawa looked to Ken, who had spoken. The raven-haired preteen looked more defiant and angrier than before. "You're wrong, Wizardmon. It's you who's the stronger and better person. You're brave and kind and powerful. You always put others before yourself. That's what makes you the best and makes Oikawa the bottom of the food chain."

Wizardmon looked to the ground. _No. That's not right. If that were true, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. All of this is happening because I had to fight Myotismon four years ago; I had to agree to what he told me to do when I could've just taken death. Why couldn't I just take death? It would've been the better option._

Oikawa glared. "All right, _now _you've gone and insulted me. And we can't have that." He unbuttoned a part of his trench coat and pulled out something coiled in a loop. He buttoned up his jacket again and held one end of the coil, letting the rest of it flow down to reveal a whip that looked startlingly like the one Ken used as the Digimon Emperor. "I'm going to have to teach you a lesson." Oikawa raised the whip and snapped it. Ken winced, preparing for the pain to come.

"_Leave him alone!"_

Clearly, it was Wizardmon who spoke, given the murderous glare he cast towards Oikawa. But the man and Ken froze with wide eyes at the demonic sound of the Majin's voice. The kidnapped children hardly reacted, but Oikawa and Ken looked terrified to see a ghostly black aura around Wizardmon, his eyes glowing with a pure black light. The aura around Wizardmon grew, tendrils of it lashing out and around everywhere. Oikawa jumped as one came dangerously close to him. _What is this power? _Oikawa wondered. _How is this possible? _He jumped as a blast of energy shot from the seemingly possessed Digimon, and suddenly Oikawa lunged towards Ken, wrapping an arm around the boy's chest and gripping his hair in his free hand, holding Ken like a human shield.

"One wrong move and you kill him instead of me." Oikawa threatened, keeping Ken between him and the demonic Wizardmon. The Majin didn't move, but then the aura disappeared and he collapsed to the ground, panting a little. Oikawa released Ken, who sighed softly in relief when Wizardmon opened his now-jade green eyes. But he looked confused, as though he didn't realize what happened.

"Wizardmon?" Ken breathed.

Oikawa stared at Wizardmon for a moment. "You know, now that I think about it, I haven't heard you scream for a while." His face twisted into a sickening grin. "Let's see if it still sounds the way I remember it."

"No!" Ken grunted as Oikawa suddenly grabbed him by the back of his sweater and threw him aside, leaving Wizardmon defenseless as Oikawa approached him. The Majin looked up with a fierce glare in his eyes.

_Here we go again. _He thought.

_CRACK!_

* * *

><p>Silphymon grunted in pain as another one of LadyDevimon's blows sent the hybrid to the ground. Trembling and fighting to get up, Silphymon could only lay there as LadyDevimon suddenly kicked her opponent over to its stomach.<p>

"Whatcha waiting for? A written invitation?" LadyDevimon taunted. "Come on! Give me your best shot!"

"Hey wait!" the teen trapped in her grip yelped. "Whatever I did, I didn't mean it!" He struggled to break free, but LadyDevimon had just the right grip on him so he didn't suffocate but he also couldn't escape. Silphymon shaking rose to its knees, glaring at the ground.

"Well if you're just going to sit there, I'll go home and file my fangs!" LadyDevimon snapped to Silphymon. She looked towards the teen in her arm with an almost hungry gaze. "Bye-bye!"

"_NO!"_

LadyDevimon shouted in pain as something hard and wooden hit her, forcing her to release the boy she held.

"Yolei!" Kari cried. Turning, the Fallen Angel Digimon discovered her attacker: Yolei, holding a skateboard for a weapon and looking both angry and very upset judging by the tears forming in her eyes. Kari and Rika stood behind her, shocked by their friend's action.

"Stop that!" Yolei ordered, holding the skateboard like she would use it again. "What's the matter with you? He's just an innocent kid! That's called fighting dirty! Coward!" The teenager ran off to the safety of his friends. Silphymon perked up at the sight of the girls, realizing just how close Yolei stood to LadyDevimon.

"Watch it, Yolei!" Kari cried. "Be careful!"

LadyDevimon suddenly got a dangerous look to her blood red eyes. "You think I'm a coward? You humans are so pathetic. With your honor and your compassion." She held up her long, shining red claws, and instantly Yolei felt every trace of bravery leave her. "I'll show you honor!" LadyDevimon cried, lunging towards Yolei.

"Yolei!" Rika shouted, unsheathing her sword and running towards her friend.

"Leave her alone!" Sorcermon chimed in, lunging in from the other side. But LadyDevimon smacked Rika aside and then swiped her claws at Sorcermon, sending the ice Majin flying back into the tree.

"You won't stand in my way!" LadyDevimon shouted, her claws in the perfect position to strike Yolei's heart.

"No! Yolei!" Kari screamed.

Yolei squeezed her eyes shut, too terrified to do anything besides hold up the skateboard in a futile attempt to protect herself.

The strike never came.

Yolei opened her eyes to see LadyDevimon frozen before her….right before the Fallen Angel Digimon's data broke apart and she disappeared. Standing behind her, Silphymon still had its hands raised and pointed out from the attack. It very quickly became clear what happened.

"Oh no." Yolei whimpered, the skateboard falling from her trembling hands.

"You have to understand!" Silphymon pleaded, sounding remorseful. "I didn't have a choice. You were in great danger!"

Kari stared at Silphymon. _It's just like what Wizardmon said. Our Digimon protect us no matter what, even if it means destroying other Digimon._

"You vaporized her." Yolei trembled fiercely. "She's….finished…..I made a mistake."

Rika and Sorcermon managed to recover quickly, especially after seeing what happened, and returned to their friends' sides. Rika stared at Yolei as she sheathed her blade. _I know Kari was worried about this, but I never imagined just how legit her concerns were. These guys must've never killed a real Digimon before, even if it was a really evil one. I've never seen Yolei this freaked out….no, that's not the right word… _Her eyes softened. _Crushed._

Kari came to Yolei's side. "It was the right thing to do. You saved that guy's life."

"She's right." Rika agreed. "Please understand, Yolei, that even though LadyDevimon was a living creature, she still caused way too much damage. If Silphymon hadn't attacked and destroyed her, she would've killed you."

Yolei looked to the boy, noticing how shaken up but relieved he seemed. Her fists clenched and she fought back tears, but the finally nodded when she realized the truth in her friends' words.

"Let's go find the others." She decided.

* * *

><p>Ken kept his eyes shut, unable to watch the torture go on. It reminded him too much of his time as the Digimon Emperor. But with his hands tied, literally speaking, he could block out the sound of the whip cracking and Wizardmon shouting in pain. At first, Wizardmon could hold back his screams to not worry Ken; but after multiple strikes, the pained cries ripped free from his throat. Pain radiated all over him. Even with all the battles he fought, this kind of pain was something he hadn't felt in years.<p>

Tears finally began streaming down Ken's cheeks, and he forced himself to open his eyes and stare at the wounded Wizardmon. Oikawa grinned maliciously, raising his whip for another attack. Wizardmon's eyes stayed shut, shaking from the pain.

"Stop! How can you do this?" Ken cried. "Just please stop hurting my friend!"

"Stay out of this, Ken." Oikawa said. "This is between me and my old slave."

"He's not your slave!" Ken shouted, tears still pouring down. "He's my friend and I won't let you hurt him anymore!"

"As if you could stop me." Oikawa scoffed.

Ken looked to the kidnapped children, who still hadn't moved an inch. "How can you all just stand there and let him do this?"

"Well maybe if that kid would stop doing such stupid stuff, this wouldn't happen." One of the children shrugged.

"He's not a kid." Ken snapped. "He's a Digimon. An innocent Digimon that just wanted to protect me."

One of the girls gasped softly and stepped forward. She wore a yellow and dark pink jacket, a dark pink scarf, and a face mask over her mouth and nose because of a cold. "A Digimon? Like the kind of creatures that live in the Digital World?"

Ken paused, surprised by her reaction. Suddenly the girl seemed more aware of what was happening and no longer looked like a mindless drone. "Yes. His name is Wizardmon and he's known as a Digital Monster, or Digimon."

The girl's eyes widened in shock. Oikawa "hmph"-ed again. "But he's not like the Digimon you children will meet. He's evil and heartless." The man raised his whip again, ready to strike the Majin once more.

"NO!" the girl cried. She ran forward, fell to her knees, and hugged Wizardmon, forcing Oikawa to halt his attack. Oikawa glared, but the girl paid no attention to him. She stared at Wizardmon, her dark brown eyes locked onto Wizardmon's dark jade green ones. "Is it true? You're a Digimon? From the Digital World?"

Wizardmon, though still in pain, nodded. "Yes. I am."

The girl stared for a moment before she smiled. "You're Wizardmon, right? My name's Noriko."

Wizardmon smiled softly under his cowl. "That's a very pretty name, Noriko."

The children began to murmur to each other, as though just waking up from a nap, and they moved towards Wizardmon. Oikawa glared, growling in frustration. Suddenly, the van jerked to a halt and a few minutes later the back door opened a bit.

"Um, sir?" Mummymon's voice called. "Do you think you could come ride in the front with me and Arukenimon? We can't quite remember where to go."

Oikawa groaned. "Fine." He marched off, casting a nasty glare towards Wizardmon. The Majin just stared back, secretly thankful for the ceasing of the torture.

* * *

><p>The van swerved a bit as Mummymon tried to shake Raidramon off his tail, but nothing he did seemed to work.<p>

"Speed up, Raidramon!" Davis urged, Wormmon hanging on tightly to his shoulders. "You can do it!"

"Right!" Raidramon assured, picking up speed and leaping up onto the roof of the van.

"You think you're so smart?" Mummymon huffed, jerking the steering wheel around in an attempt to throw them off.

"Don't worry, you two!" Raidramon reassured. "I'm not going anywhere! Just hold on tight!"

_Not a problem! _Wormmon wanted to shout, had he not been so concerned with not falling.

"You are completely useless." Arukenimon groaned.

A flash of light caught Mummymon's attention, and he yelped as he suddenly applied the brakes. Arukenimon opened her mouth to snap at him, but then she noticed the figure standing right in their path.

"Who's that guy?" Wormmon called over the squealing of the brakes.

"Don't ask me!" Davis would've shrugged if he wasn't preoccupied with holding onto Raidramon.

Mummymon, Arukenimon, and Oikawa stared from their spot in the van's cabin, Mummymon looking ready to floor it and run the figure over. Raidramon dedigivolved and he, Davis, and Wormmon laid themselves flat on the van's roof, attempting to remain hidden. Ken, Wizardmon, and the kidnapped children rested in the cargo hold, safe for now. The rest of the DigiDestined were somewhat scattered, unaware of the danger.

Daemon stood in the path of the van, practically radiating with an evil air.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wizardmon's Majin language translation:**

_**tu loc sohatrea**_** : "You damn vampire."**


	43. The Dark Gate

**Episode 45: The Dark Gate**

"So if you're what's called a Majin Digimon, can you really do magic?" one of the children asked.

"Yes." Wizardmon nodded, sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall of the van. The children gathered in a semi-circle around the Digimon, giving him some space but still staring in awe. They had many questions about Digimon and the Digital World, and Wizardmon seemed willing to answer every one since it kept them occupied. Ken sat off to one side, his tears long since stopped. He felt relieved to know that one of the children seemed to care enough to help Wizardmon, but the danger was still present as long as they were all trapped in the van. His and Wizardmon's arms were still bound behind their backs.

"Can you show us some magic?" a child requested.

Wizardmon shifted a bit. "Only if you could get these bonds off."

"I don't know." another child said nervously. "Mr. Oikawa won't be happy if you try to run off."

"I won't." Wizardmon assured. "I'm a little too tired."

"I wanna see some magic!" one of the younger children urged.

"Yeah, let's see if this guy really is a Digimon!" one of the older children agreed.

Noriko scooted closer to Wizardmon and tried to pull the webs loose. When that didn't work, she helped him pull his hands from his gloves. Wizardmon brought his arms around and rubbed his wrists, setting his still bound gloves in his lap. Then, he held his hands out, palms up, and closed his eyes in concentration. Bright lights, like blue fireflies, came up from his palms and began floating about the air, much to the admiration of the children. They murmured excitedly, a couple of them trying to catch the lights. Ken noticed how much Wizardmon's hands shook as he performed the magical feat, and he knew the Majin didn't have much energy left.

_Just hang on, Wizardmon. _Ken thought. _I'm sure we'll get out of here soon._

When the lights finally disappeared, the children clapped for Wizardmon, looking more like regular kids than the robotic drones they looked like before. Wizardmon smiled softly, leaning back against the metal wall.

"You're pretty cool, Wizardmon." The boy in the turquoise jacket complimented. "And you know so much about the Digital World!"

"Well, I had to learn a lot to become who I am today." Wizardmon replied, tiredness in his voice. But he kept up the calm yet cheerful demeanor, for his sake if not for the sakes of these kids.

"Tell us more!" Noriko requested. "Please!"

Wizardmon cast a look towards her. _This one's exceptionally strong. So smart and brave already. What could Oikawa possibly offer her? _"Whatever you want to know. Just ask."

* * *

><p>Daemon laughed evilly. "Sorry to interrupt your little field trip, but you have something I want!"<p>

_Man, this guy's scarier than my Great Aunt Martha. _Davis yelped softly and ducked down as the shotgun seat door opened and Oikawa stepped out, staring at Daemon without the slightest hint of fear.

"I demand you give it to me." Daemon growled.

"First, I must say that it's truly an honor to see you in person." Oikawa replied. "And I would love to help you find what you're looking for. But I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't treat me like a fool." Daemon snapped. "I know that you have the Dark Spore. Now give it to me willingly or I will take it."

_This one doesn't seem to like to play. _Oikawa thought, an arrogant smirk on his face. _Oh well. Perhaps I can kill two birds with one stone. _

"Davis, what in the world is the Dark Spore?" Veemon whispered.

"Beats me." Davis replied in the same soft voice. "But whatever it is, I bet it isn't a good thing. That's for sure."

Wormmon stared worriedly at the van. "Oh Ken….." _We'll get you out of there, Ken. I promise. But now that we've stopped, why hasn't Wizardmon try to escape with you? What's happened?_

* * *

><p>"What kinds of Digimon are there?" a child asked.<p>

"Many kinds, in all sorts of shapes and sizes." Wizardmon replied. "Some are very common and some are extremely rare. And then there are some where there's only one of them in the entire Digital World."

"All shapes and sizes, really?" another child breathed, in complete awe.

"Yes." Wizardmon nodded. "I've seen every one of them."

"So is there a Digimon shaped like an ogre?"

"Ogremon."

"How about a dog?"

"Oh, many like that, such as Doggymon or Labramon."

"Are there a lot of animal Digimon? Or human Digimon?"

"Both."

"What about a Digimon shaped like a mushroom?"

"Yep."

"A cherry tree?"

"Oh yes, Cherrymon. They can be a little on the grouchy side, but mostly harmless."

"How about a skeleton?"

"A few."

"An angel?"

"Yes, some."

"How about a lemon custard?" one child piped up happily.

"A lemon custard?!" the other children questioned.

"Actually, yes. A pesky little Digimon named Sukamon." Wizardmon chuckled. "He and his mouse partner Chuumon are always causing mischief." The children laughed at the thought of such Digimon existing. Ken chuckled too, happy to see Wizardmon seemed to regain some of his strength.

Suddenly, the door to the van opened, and Oikawa and Arukenimon appeared. The man's eyes widened. "Hey! Who released him?"

"We just wanted to see some magic." Noriko said innocently.

Oikawa growled a little. "Wizardmon, you're coming with me. Now let's go."

The children complained a little, but Wizardmon could see the murderous look in Oikawa's eyes. He could sense great danger outside, but his weakness prevented him from identifying any auras. "It's all right, children." The Majin soothed. "Why don't you all rest for now? It's late, after all."

"Can't we see one more magic trick?" one of the children pleaded.

Wizardmon smiled softly. "All right. Here." He held up his palms again and a white cloud, like fog, rose from his hands and surrounded the children. They began to yawn, slowly laying down and falling asleep. "Just sleep, and everything will be fine." Wizardmon promised as the fog disappeared. The children slept peacefully, very much at ease. Wizardmon took up his gloves and tore the now-dry webs from them, putting them back on his hands where they belonged. He shakily stood up, but hardly made it to Oikawa before the man grabbed his shoulder and shoved him against the wall, using the fallen whip to restrain his hands once more.

"Very clever, Wizardmon." Oikawa complimented. "But you've only helped me further in my plans…..like a good little slave."

Wizardmon glared hard, but could do nothing as Oikawa roughly dragged him from the van. Arukenimon leaped inside, keeping Ken back so the boy couldn't run after Wizardmon. Ken could only sit there, staring in fear, as Oikawa shut the door to the van and completely separated him from his Digimon friend. "Wizardmon….." he breathed. _What do I do now?_

Wizardmon didn't even have the energy to walk; his feet dragged across the ground as Oikawa kept a tight grip on the back of his collar, forcefully dragging him to the front of the truck.

"Here. As a token of peace, a little gift for you." Oikawa threw Wizardmon before him, causing a grunt of pain from the Majin. Wizardmon looked up to see a pair of boots, and then his eyes traveled up to the hooded face of the figure.

"Daemon." He growled.

Daemon seemed a little happier now. "Well now, this is quite the turn of events. How are you, little wizard? Ready to take my offer?"

Wizardmon wanted nothing more than to throw a Thunder Ball in Daemon's face. Instead, he just huffed and spoke with sarcasm thick in his tone. "Oh sure. Because nothing would please me more than to become a freak like you."

"You're one to talk about being a freak." Oikawa noted, earning another angry growl from the Majin. "Don't worry too much about his attitude." Oikawa assured Daemon. "He can be broken; it just takes a few rounds of torture or so."

Daemon narrowed his eyes at Oikawa. "This was most generous of you, but it will not be a substitute for what I really want. I am growing impatient, Oikawa. Either give me the child with the Dark Spore now or you'll regret it."

"There's no need to threaten me, Daemon. I'm sure we can work this out to our mutual satisfaction." Oikawa turned and snapped his fingers, and he heard the back door to the van open. Arukenimon jumped out with Ken in tow, leading the boy straight towards Daemon.

_I'm consistently amazed at what fools these Digimon can be. _Oikawa thought. _Once I get the Dark Spore planted in the others, little Ichijōji is expendable._

_No! _Wizardmon struggled to find some ounce of strength. _Come on, why can't something go right today?_

"_V Head Butt!"_

Arukenimon shouted in pain and surprise as Veemon suddenly slammed into her, causing her to release Ken.

"_Sticky Net!" _Wormmon spit the threads from his mouth, covering Arukenimon in them. Davis hurriedly pushed Ken out of the way, Wizardmon's hat and staff in his hands. Wormmon bounced off the ground and right to Ken's bound hands, pulling off the scarf that bound them. _"Go!"_

With his hands free, Ken could finally pull his D3 from his pocket, and he and Davis turned to their Digimon.

"_Veemon digivolve to…..ExVeemon!"_

"_Wormmon digivolve to…..Stingmon!"_

Daemon, narrowing his eyes at the new opponents, left Oikawa behind and darted towards the oncoming Digimon. Davis and Ken hurried around the fight and right towards Wizardmon. Davis slammed into Oikawa, keeping him occupied so Ken could grab Wizardmon and drag him to safety. Oikawa would've followed if Daemon's fight with the DigiDestined didn't stand in his way.

"Thanks Ken." Wizardmon said gratefully as Davis unbound his arms and handed him his hat and staff. The Majin tried to stand and run to the battle, but a burst of pain caused him to groan and fall to his knees again.

"Wizardmon, don't move." Ken ordered gently. "You're hurt too badly. Let ExVeemon and Stingmon take care of this."

Daemon launched a powerful purple blast from each palm, sending ExVeemon slamming into the side of the van and Stingmon into some nearby bushes.

"Ken, now's your chance." Davis urged. "You better make a run for it."

"No way." Ken said firmly. "I can't leave until we save the other children."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Davis gasped, looking to the out-cold kids in the back of the van.

Daemon paused. "'Other children'? Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

Oikawa seemed angry at first, but then smirked. "I have a surprise." Mummymon and Arukenimon leaped down, now in their Digimon forms and ready for a fight.

"You must be kidding me!" Daemon sounded both surprised but mocking. He shot forward and slammed into the two Digimon, sending them flying. He grinned triumphantly, but a new sound made him turn.

"_ExVeemon…Stingmon…DNA Digivolve to…Paildramon!"_

A new Digimon stood in place of his former opponents, much to Daemon's surprise. But he hardly moved as Paildramon launched his Desperado Blasters and caused a great explosion when they hit their mark.

"Take that, why don't ya?" Davis laughed.

"Nice shooting, Paildramon!" Ken complimented.

Wizardmon's irises and pupils constricted. "No. It's not over." Before Davis or Ken could ask, the smoke cleared to reveal a now much larger Daemon, looking completely unharmed.

"Is that the best you can do?" Daemon laughed.

"_Kachina Bomb!"_

Daemon grunted in pain as the blast connected with his back, and he stumbled a bit.

"It's Shakkoumon!" Davis cheered at the sight of the large, gold and white Digimon.

"Perfect timing!" Ken called.

"You expect an overgrown vacuum cleaner to defeat me?" Daemon scoffed.

"I beg your pardon?" Shakkoumon snapped, sounding quite insulted.

"Is there something you'd like to do now that my back isn't turned?" Daemon goaded.

"Don't back down, Shakkoumon!" Cody called from his, T.K.'s, and Jim's spot several feet away. "He's just trying to psyche you out!"

"Yeah!" T.K. chimed in. "Stay focused and let him have it!"

"He's had it now." Davis said.

"_Astral Laser!" _

"_Crystal Barrage!"_

A pink laser, shaped like a shadow of Silphymon, shot down towards Daemon with a flurry of ice shards to accompany it. Daemon turned to see two more opponents joined the fight, and he growled in anger.

"It's Silphymon and Sorcermon!" Ken cheered.

"Sorry we're late, guys!" Silphymon called.

"Take that, you big creep!" Yolei shouted from her, Kari's, and Rika's spot on a nearby building.

Silphymon swooped down to let Sorcermon jump off before flying back up to Daemon's eye level. The ice Majin hurried over to Wizardmon, just now noticing how weak and wounded he was. "Wizardmon! You all right?"

"I'm fine." Wizardmon said, pain lacing his voice. "Let's get in there."

"No way." Sorcermon said firmly. "You're too weak for us to DNA Digivolve anyhow." He readied his staff and ran to stand beside Paildramon. "I'll fight myself."

Wizardmon tried to protest, but he grunted in pain and suddenly fell fully to the ground. _He's right. I can't even get up, much less DNA Digivolve. I feel so useless right now!_

"You silly little imbeciles." Daemon's voice rose in volume and intensity. "Do you really think you're puny powers are any match for mine? _Evil Inferno!"_ Streams of fire shot from Daemon's palms, right towards his opponents and their human partners.

"Now, Paildramon!" Sorcermon ordered.

"Right!" Paildramon nodded.

"_Paildramon Mega Digivolve to…Imperialdramon!"_

The blast hit Imperialdramon and shot straight up into the air, causing little to no harm to the Digimon himself. Everyone shied away and shielded their eyes, Sorcermon creating an ice shield around him, Ken, Davis, and Wizardmon. Imperialdramon pushed through the flames and rammed into Daemon, stopping the attack. Shakkoumon managed to absorb the attack within himself, blowing out a great burst of steam from the spout on his head. Silphymon easily outflew the attack until it disappeared before returning to the battle.

"_Positron Laser!" _the cannon blast nailed Daemon straight in the chest and sent him flying backwards.

"_Justice Beams!" _twin beams of energy shot from Shakkoumon's eyes and coupled with the laser attack.

"_Static Force!" _Silphymon threw its signature attack.

"_Crystal Barrage!" _Sorcermon added his attack for good measure.

"Bulls-eye baby!" Davis cheered. The other DigiDestined smiled, believing they truly triumphed this time. But when the attacks stopped and the smoke cleared, Daemon still stood and laughed as though he just heard a good joke.

"Don't tell me that was the best you could do!" Daemon taunted.

"That's insane." Rika breathed.

"Aw dude." Davis groaned.

"Hey look!" Cody cried in disbelief. "Not even a wrinkle!"

"Aw, how are we supposed to stop this creep if he took our best shots?" Yolei wondered aloud.

Daemon chuckled darkly. "Now it's my turn to have a little fun."

"Hey you big bully!" Rika shouted. "You want a fight, we'll give it to you! We'll never give up, especially not to the likes of you!"

"Why are you kidding yourselves?" Daemon asked. "You don't have to suffer. Just give me what I want. Come with me, Ken."

Ken growled in frustration, taking a step forward. _Maybe if I do go with him, he'll leave everyone alone…_

Davis suddenly came forward. "Don't even think about it! No way!"

"You can't give in to him." Wizardmon added.

"Maybe I can persuade you another way." Daemon held up a palm towards the nearby apartments, fire erupting in his hand as he prepared to launch it. Even from here, the DigiDestined could hear the terrified screams of the apartment residents.

"Don't you dare!" Rika shouted.

"Do something!" Davis shouted to Imperialdramon.

Daemon threw the fire…

"_Imperialdramon Mode Change to…Fighter Mode!"_

Imperialdramon jumped up in the way of the fire, creating a force field around himself to block the flames.

"When you mess with my friends, I take it personally!" Imperialdramon snapped, not even flinching at the flames. He pushed his claws up, and the force field flipped around. Now the normally protective shield around Daemon sent his Evil Inferno flames right back at him.

"Not bad." Daemon mused. "I must admit, I'm impressed."

Imperialdramon struggled to keep the shield up, trying to force Daemon back. "Davis, I can't keep this up much longer! He's too strong!"

"We gotta do something!" Davis urged, for once at a loss at what they could do. The kids gathered closer together, their minds racing with ideas on what they could do. Daemon was hardly breaking a sweat while their Digimon had to bust their butts trying to fight him. If he stayed here, who knows how much more damage he could cause?

"I'm growing impatient of these little games!" Daemon growled. "Why don't you just give up?"

"Not in a million years, ya big windbag!" Davis shouted.

"No way!" T.K. added, feeling a rage he hadn't felt since the days he hated BlackWarGreymon. "This monster doesn't care who he hurts. We can't let him get what he wants! Do you hear me you overgrown pigeon? We'll never surrender to you! No matter what!"

"Yeah!" Rika snapped. "You tired of the game then why don't _you _give up?"

"This guy's too strong to fight one-on-one and we're running out of time!" Cody realized. "There's got to be some way to send him back to the Digital World!"

"I know!" Yolei called. "I saw a laptop in Jim's car! We can open a Digital Gate from there and send him back! That'll stop him."

"So, you want to open a Digital Gate, do you?" Daemon's voice made them all look up. "Here! Let me help you!" The evil Digimon raised his hands to the sky, and a purple light appeared out of thin air.

"Hey, what in the world is he doing?" Davis asked no one in particular.

"It's impossible!" Kari gasped. "He's ripping the sky apart!"

"Look, he's opened up a Digital Gate on his own!" Yolei's words rang true as they all looked into the light to see the DigiWorld desert.

"Fools!" Daemon shouted. "How do you think I came from the Digital World in the first place?! Even if you can send me back to the Digital World, I'll just keep coming back until I get what I've come here for! Face it: you cannot defeat me!"

It certainly seemed true. After all, Imperialdramon still had the force field up and Daemon was surrounded by flames, but they didn't seem to bother him in the least. Not only that, he opened up a portal to DigiWorld no problem.

"Whoa." Rika breathed. _Even with all the time I spent in the Digital World, I never met a Digimon this powerful before. He must have the power to open that gate whenever he wants._

"Now come with me, Ken." Daemon ordered. "And maybe I'll go easy on your friends."

"He's right." Yolei suddenly fell to her hands and knees, catching everyone's attention. "It's no use! We're finished!"

"No we're not!" Rika encouraged.

"Hey, don't you talk that way!" Davis added. "We're not beat yet! We can't give up; there's got to be some way to take this guy down!"

"She's right." Cody admitted. "He's just too powerful."

"Not you too, Cody!" Davis groaned.

"But it's true, Davis!" Tears began forming in Cody's eyes. "Imperialdramon, Silphymon, and Shakkoumon couldn't even make a scratch with their combined powers! And with Wizardmon out of commission we don't have Baihumon to help us. Even if we did, it probably wouldn't matter! What are we supposed to do now, huh? It's completely hopeless! Even if we were able to send him back to the Digital World, it still won't stop him. He can come right back!"

"Then we keep sending him back until he gets the message!" Rika determined.

"He said he'll keep coming back until he gets Ken!" Yolei cried. "What're we supposed to do, keep fighting him forever and ever?"

Rika growled in frustration. "Well…"

"I can't believe this!" Davis snapped, in complete disbelief. "Since when did we become a bunch of quitters?"

"There's gotta be some way to stop him, guys." T.K. reasoned. "If only there was some place in the Digital World that could hold a being that powerful and maybe we could…." A great idea, but nobody knew of a place that could actually keep Daemon at bay.

Kari gasped as an idea came to her. A terrifying thought, but one that would undoubtedly work. "Like the Dark Ocean!"

"Perfect!" Rika nodded.

"Wait a minute." T.K. said, turning to Kari. "That's the weird dimension in the Digital World that you went to, right? Great idea, Kari. That's the perfect place to send this fiery freak."

"That's great." Yolei huffed. "But I think we're overlooking a simple problem with your plan, T.K. How do we open a gate to the Dark Ocean?!" _The last time we went to the Dark Ocean, it was mostly by accident; we were just wandering through a forest and stumbled inside it._

"It's strange." Kari murmured. "When I went to the Dark Ocean, I was just taken there by some mysterious force. I don't remember going through a portal or anything."

"Wait, you mean you didn't open the Digital Gates yourself?" T.K. clarified, feeling his plan fall apart.

"That means it won't work." Cody said in despair.

"Oh come on, guys." Kari encouraged. "We're on the right track. We can't give up now. There has to be some way to send him to the Dark Ocean."

Daemon laughed cruelly. "This is better than the circus. Please keep coming up with these foolish plans. You're making my stomach hurt."

"Put a sock in it, would ya?!" Davis snapped.

Rika narrowed her eyes. "Hey Daemon! I don't see why you need the power of the Dark Spore if you seem to be so strong already!"

"Why it's simple, my dear." Daemon chuckled darkly. "There's no such thing as too much power. That's why when I heard of the Dark Spore's existence, I knew I had to have it. I must be the most powerful Digimon on two worlds, and so I will be. I recruit only the most powerful Digimon to be my servants; they are, of course, the only ones worthy of being part of the Daemon Corps. I once tried to recruit your little Wizardmon friend, but unfortunately he made the poor choice of refusing. Perhaps you will make the smarter choice: join me, DigiDestined of Darkness, and I will help you become so much stronger."

Rika growled, and then laughed with a smirk. "Seriously? Even _you _are still caught up on that? Sorry buddy, but I've moved past the constant worrying about my destiny. I know who I am. I am not the darkness that destroys, I'm the darkness that brings balance. I _protect _the Digital World as the Guardian DigiDestined. And I'm not going to stop until you're defeated!"

Daemon made a "hmph" sound. "Your precious little Wizardmon made the same stupid decision when he decided to defy me. And now look at him; he's a pathetic shell of his formally powerful self."

"Don't you dare talk that way about Wizardmon!" Silphymon shouted. "He's more powerful than you could ever hope to be!"

"Oh really?" Daemon laughed. "Then why is he just lying there? Why isn't he helping to fight? Oh that's right, it would seem he's just too weak. As usual."

Wizardmon glared at the ground, gripping his staff tightly in one hand. Sorcermon noticed the reaction and glared at Daemon. "Just shut up! Leave us alone!"

"Wait." Ken's voice spoke, and everyone turned to see the boy had his D3 out. "I was once able to open up a gate to that dimension….using my D3. A Dark Gate. There's a chance that even though I'm not the Digimon Emperor anymore, I still might be able to tap into that dark power within me to open up a portal. Here goes nothing!" He held up his D3 towards the Digital Gate, concentrating hard. A pink light emitted from the Digivice, and Ken started to feel something inside him. It was pain, but a different kind than he ever felt before. The strain of pulling that darkness from inside him made sweat drip down from his forehead. A tidal wave of bad memories surfaced, reminding him of every horrible thing he ever did as the Digimon Emperor.

"A magic trick." Daemon teased. "How adorable."

Rika glared hard and put a hand on Ken's shoulder. "You can do it, Ken. I'll help you bring out the darkness."

Ken still focused hard, but he murmured out, "What?"

"I'm the DigiDestined of Darkness, so darkness is always going to be a part of me." Rika said. "But I'll gladly accept it, because I was chosen for this and I'm going to stand by my friends to make sure they don't have to deal with it like I do!"

"Look guys!" T.K. called, pointing to the Digital Gate.

"Something's happening to the Digital Gate!" Davis realized. They watched as the DigiWorld scene suddenly became enveloped in blackness, leaving it hardly visible against the night sky.

Ken continued to focus on the Dark Ocean, despite the pain it caused him. "What's going on?!" Daemon screamed, suddenly not sounding so confident anymore.

Kari jumped when Ken suddenly let out a scream, obviously from too much of the pain inside him. The brunette leaped forward and put her hands onto Ken's arm, helping him keep the D3 up and pointed at the gate. "Please Ken! You can't give up! We're right here with you!"

"We won't leave your side!" Rika promised, putting her hands over Kari's.

"Check it out!" Davis called. "You can see the waves!"

Kari looked up to the portal to see the waves she hadn't seen in so long. _It's working. It's almost open. _"Come on, guys!"

"The Dark Ocean!" T.K. realized. "It's working! You can do it, Ken!" He hurried over and put his hands on Ken's arm, right with Rika's and Kari's hands. "I believe in you!"

"Ken's facing his darkest fears and he's making the portal open!" Cody breathed.

"If Ken is brave enough to fight his demons, then maybe we shouldn't give up so easily." Yolei murmured.

"Yeah!" Cody agreed. "Let's do it!"

"Come on, Cody!" Yolei urged. The two of them rushed over, adding their hands to the supportive pile. The waves in the portal grew in numbers, and the gate began opening wider and wider. Ken moaned and grunted in pain, sweat dripping down his face. He let out a pained scream. "Hold on!" Yolei encouraged. "We're your friends and we won't let anything happen to you!"

"Concentrate!" Cody urged. "Come on, Ken! We know you can do it!"

Davis finally joined in, placing his hands over top everyone else's. "Stay strong, Ken! I know you have a lot of pain and confusion inside of you over the things you did as the Digimon Emperor! But you're not that person anymore, Ken. You thought the Digital World was a game. You didn't realize you were hurting living creatures. But you paid for your mistakes! We wouldn't be where we are without your help! You can't keep beating yourself up for all the things you did in the past, Ken!"

Ken's face suddenly relaxed, and he stared with an almost blank gaze towards the gate. The pain began to leave him, and soon he felt like a semi-truck was lifted off his shoulders.

_Wow. I've never heard Davis make this much sense before. _Kari thought.

_Something's happening! _Yolei realized. _I think I can feel Ken letting go of his fear!_

Ken still trembled and whimpered a bit, but he wasn't screaming anymore. "You can do this, Ken." Rika assured. "I know how it feels to think you have to do everything on your own. But you can't forget that no matter what happens, you'll always have your friends there to help you get up if you fall! We'll always be there for you, no matter what the problem is and no matter what's going on!"

"You gotta fight, Ken!" Davis added. "You're stronger than that! Don't let fear and guilt rule you're life anymore! _We're here with you!_"

The light from the D3 grew brighter, and the Dark Gate fully opened to reveal the Dark Ocean.

"What a touching display of friendship." Daemon mocked, not even noticing the portal. "I think I'm going to cry. _I think I'm going to destroy you!"_

"Let's get him, guys!" Imperialdramon called.

"_Positron Laser!"_

"_Static Force!"_

"_Justice Beams!"_

"_Drowning Aquarius!"_

The four combined attacks hit Daemon and began pushing him back, and that's when he realized what happened. "The Dark Ocean? Very impressive, my little DigiDestined. But it won't be enough!" He pushed back against the attacks, and it took all the Digimon's strength to keep Daemon from advancing any further.

"We need more power, guys!" Silphymon called.

Wizardmon, who could only stare at the battle since it's beginning, felt new rage bubble inside him. _I've had enough of this guy. I already have to deal with Oikawa hurting me, but no way am I going to let Daemon win this time!_

Rika gasped. "Wizardmon?" Everyone gasped at the sight of Wizardmon suddenly standing and moving towards Daemon. The Majin's eyes glowed with a black colored light, and a dark aura surrounded him. Suddenly, the aura grew and morphed into the shape of a shadow figure, almost looking like Beelzemon only more demonic. The figure's wings looked almost feathery and its three eyes glowed blood red. Even Daemon looked shocked, especially when Wizardmon shot up into the air and straight towards him, bringing the demonic spirit with him. The shadow opened its mouth, revealing a blood red maw, and let out a screech/roar that made everyone cringe in fear. Then the shadow pushed its hands forward and let loose a blast of dark energy, nailing Daemon in the chest and successfully pushing Daemon through the portal to the Dark Ocean.

"Remind me to not take you so lightly next time." Daemon said as he disappeared into the portal, talking to all the DigiDestined and not just Wizardmon. "You're lucky, DigiDestined of Darkness; it seems your demon of the Digimon is too powerful even for me. You may think you've seen the last of me, but I will be back!"

The portal closed, and Daemon was no more. The shadowy figure around Wizardmon disappeared and he suddenly fell from the sky. Silphymon shot up to catch him.

"Oh no." Gatomon's voice whimpered. "Wizardmon."

"Is he all right?" Imperialdramon asked.

Silphymon stared at the limp Majin lying in its arms. "He's unconscious, but alive." The hybrid confirmed.

Oikawa watched from one side, smirking. "I can't believe those little whelps actually beat Daemon. Well, call me a fool."

The DigiDestined cheered for their Digimon, overjoyed that they finally won the gruesome battle. Silphymon gently set Wizardmon on the ground and the three hybrid Digimon dedigivolved, all of them jumping into the welcoming arms of their partners. But everyone paused as Rika and Sorcermon hurried to Wizardmon's side, their concerns raising for the Majin.

"He's not…." Yolei gulped.

"No, he's still alive." Rika assured. "Just hurt and tired."

Ken suddenly felt angry again. _This shouldn't have happened. Why did Wizardmon do that? He knew he was hurt but he took the shot anyway. Just like how he took those beatings to protect me. _"Oikawa." He turned, but saw no sign of the human. "He was just here. Where did he go?" Police sirens blared, and suddenly Oikawa darted down the road. Ken, T.K., and Davis took off after him. "Oikawa!" Ken shouted. _I can't let him get away with this! _But much to their frustration, Oikawa jumped into a nearby car and it sped off, leaving the kids in the dust. "He's getting away."

"Forget him, Ken." T.K. said. "We won today and those kids are safe. That's all that matters."

"Yeah, let's get back to the others." Davis suggested. "We have to make sure Wizardmon's okay."

Ken growled in frustration, but sighed through his nose and nodded. _We'll find him again, I know it. There's no way this is over. And I'll make him pay for what he did to Wizardmon._

* * *

><p>Jim helped the DigiDestined move away from the scene just as the police arrived. From their look on a nearby bridge, they could watch as the police came up to the kids and started talking to them. They all gave a collective sigh; at least there was some comfort in knowing those kids would be returned to their parents. But the Dark Spore was still buried within each of those children now, so their troubles were far from over. Not only that, they had a wounded Digimon to tend to.<p>

Sorcermon grunted in effort, but the glow in his hands flickered and went out. He growled in frustration. "It's not working! My healing powers aren't starting up like they should."

"It's because you're too tired from the fight." Rika said soothingly. "You need to rest and save your strength."

"We'll make sure Wizardmon gets some help." Gatomon assured. "Don't worry about it."

Sorcermon glared at the ground. _If I were a real Digimon I wouldn't get so tired so easily. I could help him._

"I better get you guys home. Your parents must be in a panic by now." Jim said, herding them into his car. Yolei, Cody, and Kari piled in the backseat with their Digimon and Rika and Davis squeezed into the shotgun seat with theirs. The passengers in the backseat carefully moved Wizardmon to lay across their legs, all of them staring worriedly at the Majin. Gatomon took her friend's limp hand in her paw and gave it a squeeze, hoping for a reaction. None came.

"He'll be okay." Kari assured. "I know it."

Jim put a finger to his mouth in thought. "One problem: I only have room for one more."

"Well maybe I should go take the bus then." Ken suggested.

"Go ahead." T.K. gently pushed Ken into the yellow Volkswagen. "Go on. You're a part of the team now, Ken."

The other DigiDestined scooted over to make room and Ken reluctantly but thankfully accepted the seat. "But what about you, T.K.?"

"My parents know all about the Digimon stuff." T.K. assured. "Don't worry about it. My house isn't very far from here. I'll just walk home. See ya later!"

Ken stared for a moment, but called back "Thanks buddy." T.K. shut the door and bid Jim farewell before walking off with Patamon in his arms. Jim climbed into the car and drove off to drop the kids at their homes. Ken glanced over at Wizardmon, staring at the still Majin for a moment. "Rika. I'm going to take Wizardmon home with me."

Not only did Rika turn in surprise, but so did everyone else. "Why, Ken?" the raven-haired girl asked.

"He risked his life for me when Oikawa had us trapped." Ken explained. "In return, I'll take him home and get him some help. I plan on telling my parents about the Digital World, so they can patch him up real fast."

"Are you sure?" Kari asked.

"Absolutely." Ken nodded. "It's the least I could do after what he risked for me."

"Hey Rika?" Yolei piped up. "I know we're all thinking about it, and maybe too afraid to ask, but I'm going to be the first: was that shadow the 'special ability' you talked about earlier?"

Everyone looked to Rika, the terrifying shadow from before burned in their memories. Rika didn't answer for a while, but one look from Sorcermon and she knew what to do. "You could say that. It's not really an 'ability' as much as it is a spirit."

"A spirit?" Ken repeated.

"Sorcermon can tell you more." Rika said, looking to said Digimon. "He discovered it during his travels searching for us." Everyone's attention turned to the ice Majin, who sighed.

"It was some time after Arukenimon sent me to search for you." Sorcermon explained. "I came across the village of Witchenly, and I stopped by thinking I would find someone who could help me find you. Oddly enough, that was the first time I met Gatomon." He and Gatomon smiled, but Sorcermon turned serious again. "While I was there, I learned of the events on Dark Day, and how Wizardmon drove them off with some sort of strange power. I found a library and looked around inside. I came across a book about the legendary Crests of the DigiDestined. Since I was hunting for you, I figured it would be a good book to read. I discovered something interesting about the Crests of Light and Darkness.

"The powers of that control Light and Darkness are controlled not only through the Crests, but through two legendary spirits known as the Angel of Light and the Angel of Darkness. Legend says the Angels themselves created the Crests of Light and Darkness to keep the two opposing forces from overpowering one another. The Angels could not overpower each other because their life forces were connected; one could not live without the other, such is the balance of the world. It is unknown when the Angels became spirits. Maybe they died; perhaps killed; who knows? But they needed to be connected to the Crests somehow. There was only one way, of course: the DigiDestined. Knowing this, the Angels searched for the Digimon who would become the partners to the DigiDestined of Light and Darkness. These Digimon would become their hosts, carrying the spirits to be at the respective DigiDestined's disposal."

"In a way, they knew that Gatomon and Wizardmon would become Kari's and my partners." Rika explained. "Unfortunately, these spirits are _very _powerful and not easily controllable. It's thanks to mine and Kari's Crests and our powers as DigiDestined that the spirits are 'tamed' through Beelzemon and Ophanimon. But sometimes, the spirits come out in forms like the one you saw earlier. That's what happened with Dark Day."

"When Piedmon forced Wizardmon to kill Witchmon, it caused the Angel of Darkness to awaken within him." Sorcermon continued. "The Witchenly residents said it was quite terrifying to see such a demonic and angry spirit, but also very satisfying to watch the Dark Masters run away in fear. But, since the spirit was so uncontrollable, it forced Wizardmon to chase after the Dark Masters. My guess is that eventually the spirit became tired and Wizardmon collapsed. By the time he came around, he probably just assumed everyone dead or he didn't have a clue as to where he was."

"So he left." Gatomon guessed. "And he traveled and traveled and never stopped until he met me."

"That was no accident, Gatomon." Sorcermon assured. "You carry the Angel of Light inside you; the two Angels are so connected that they are drawn to each other, and so you and Wizardmon were as well."

Gatomon looked to Wizardmon. "I supposed I did feel a connection to him. The more time I spent with him, the more I felt like I belonged by his side, and he by mine."

"Now, with everything that's happening with Oikawa and Daemon, I bet a lot of bad memories are coming up for Wizardmon." Rika said solemnly. "That's why the Spirit showed up, and it won't be easy to control in the future."

"It made an appearance when Oikawa captured us." Ken said. "It was scary; like something out of my worst nightmares."

Yolei stared sadly. "Poor Wizardmon. He's so nice and brave, yet every time we turn around there's someone there that wants to hurt him." She gently placed her hand on Wizardmon's forehead. "It's not fair. Why do so many bad things have to happen to someone like him? He doesn't deserve it."

"Don't underestimate him." Gatomon said. "He's tough, tougher than any of us. But underneath that toughness is a heart that cares. He cares about all of us so much that he doesn't care what happens to him."

"He's almost too noble for his own good. He keeps too many secrets." Cody noted. "I wish he would talk to us about whatever's bothering him."

"You guys should've seen him when we were with Oikawa." Ken said. "He was so brave; he kept attacking no matter how tired he got or how many times he got beat back. Then he took the attacks Oikawa meant for me. And when those kidnapped kids realized he was a Digimon, they started asking him all sorts of questions about Digimon and the Digital World. He answered every single one, and for a moment I forgot what Oikawa did to those kids."

"What did he do?" Kari asked.

"He copied the Dark Spore that was inside of me and put it in all of the kids." Ken replied in a grave voice. "Now Oikawa has his own garden for the spores to grow."

"The Dark Spore is in all those kids." Cody breathed.

"Now that they're going home, won't their parents know there's something different about them because they're planted with the Dark Spores?" Kari asked.

"I doubt it, Kari." Ken replied. "The changes they go through are really subtle. The transformation will be slow at first. They'll start doing better at school and sports. That's the first sign that the Dark Spore is growing."

"You don't think they'll all become Digimon Emperors one day, do you Ken?" Yolei asked worriedly.

"I hope not." Ken replied softly. _I don't know what Oikawa has planned for those kids and their Dark Spores, but I know it won't be good. Wizardmon tried so hard to keep the Dark Spore from Oikawa, so it must be serious._

* * *

><p>"Take good care of him, Ken." Rika told her friend as Stingmon lifted Wizardmon into his arms. "He doesn't like to ask for help, and he certainly hates accepting it. So be firm with him."<p>

"Sure thing." Ken nodded. "Stingmon will fly him up to my room and they'll hide out there until I can explain everything to my parents."

Sorcermon, who moved to the backseat, stared at Wizardmon. _I should be able to help him, but I just can't force my powers to work. _His fist clenched. _A real, flesh and blood Digimon could do it. But not someone like me._

Yolei noticed Sorcermon's look and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Sorcermon. Ken will take good care of him." Sorcermon gasped softly at the sudden touch, but smiled and nodded.

"Have a good night, Ken." Jim waved as the boy departed to his home. "Let's get the rest of you home; hopefully your parents won't be too upset."

"I think if we come up with the proper cover story, we'll be okay." Rika assured, smiling for the first time since the battle.

Ken and Stingmon walked over to the apartment building, and all the while Ken kept thinking about how he was going to explain this to his parents. "Stingmon, you head on up to my room. I'll meet you there in a bit. Keep a close eye on Wizardmon."

"Can do, Ken." Stingmon nodded and his wings began buzzing, lifting him off the ground and into the air. He scaled the wall of the building, the wind gently blowing in his face. He felt Wizardmon cringe a little and moan under his breath. "Hang in there, Wizardmon." Stingmon encouraged. "We're almost there." He finally reached the sliding glass door to Ken's room and pulled it open, thankful that Ken left it open today. The large insect slipped inside and quickly shut the door behind him, pulling the blinds over the door. He crawled under the lofted bed and gently leaned Wizardmon against the wall. The Majin grunted in pain at the movement. Stingmon dedigivolved to Wormmon, still staring at Wizardmon. "You'll be all right. Ken and I will make sure of it. We'll take care of you." Wizardmon didn't answer, having slipping back into unconsciousness. Wormmon slowly moved forward and touched Wizardmon's hand with one of his feelers. "Thank you, Wizardmon. For protecting my boy."

After many minutes, Ken's voice came from the other side of the door. "Like I was telling you, the Digital World is filled with different creatures with different amazing powers." The door opened, allowing light to enter the room as Ken walked inside. His parents stood at the doorway, and when their eyes fell on Wormmon they seemed more than shocked.

_Well, here's the moment of truth. _Wormmon thought, gulping a little.

"Now I know it's hard to believe, but I have someone I'd like you to meet." Ken lifted Wormmon into his arms to better show his parents. "Mom and Dad. This is Wormmon. My best friend."

"Good evening." Wormmon greeted warmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Ken has told me so many wonderful things about you."

Mrs. Ichijōji approached first. She stared at the large green caterpillar for a moment. "So all this time we were afraid you were in danger of those monsters in town, when in reality you had your own little monster to protect you." She then giggled and smiled sheepishly. "Oh I'm sorry. 'Monster' sounds like such an insulting term, doesn't it?"

"Oh no." Wormmon assured. "Actually, the term 'Digimon' is short for 'Digital Monster,' so it's a somewhat appropriate term."

"You've been protecting our little boy all this time." Mr. Ichijōji smiled as he approached. "Thank you, Wormmon."

Wormmon blushed a little. "Well, it was nothing. Ken's my best friend, and I'll do anything for him." Ken smiled warmly, happy that the meeting was going along smoothly. Then, a pained moan came from behind him, and he turned to see Wizardmon beginning to rouse from his comatose state. His parents noticed too.

"You have two Digimon?" Mrs. Ichijōji asked, moving towards Wizardmon. Her eyes widened. "Oh! It's you! You're Ukito, Miho Yamada's son, right?"

"Yes and no." Ken answered as Mr. Ichijōji flipped on the lights to reveal the wounded Majin under his son's bed. "This is Wizardmon; he and Rika survived the fire that killed the Yamada family. He's her Digimon partner like Wormmon's mine. Earlier today, I was kidnapped by the same man that kidnapped all those children from before. When he tried to attack me, Wizardmon stepped in the way and protected me. He's hurt really bad."

Mrs. Ichijōji reached out a hand, hesitated for a moment, but then placed it against Wizardmon's cheek. The Majin's eyes blinked open, and when she saw those dark green orbs she knew at once it was the "boy" she met years ago. Her face softened into sadness. "Oh you poor dear."

"You protected our son and helped save him." Mr. Ichijōji breathed.

"It…was nothing…." Wizardmon murmured.

"Don't speak; you're really hurt." Mrs. Ichijōji ordered, gently helping Wizardmon to his feet. "Come on; let's move you somewhere more comfortable and get you patched up."

"I'll get the first aid kit." Mr. Ichijōji jogged off to do just that.

Ken blinked, a bit surprised. "Really? You'll help him?"

"Of course." Mrs. Ichijōji spoke as though it were obvious, supporting Wizardmon as they walked out to the living room. "The Yamada family were good friends of mine and this boy…..er, Digimon, was willing to get hurt to protect you. It would be an insult to not help him."

Ken smiled as he followed his mother. "Thanks Mom."

Mrs. Ichijōji smiled. "Not at all."

"Please don't go to any trouble." Wizardmon requested in a soft voice. "I can heal on my own."

"Even so, we'll make sure you're comfortable until you can get back on your feet." Mrs. Ichijōji helped the Majin lay down on the couch. He could hardly protest; his muscles turned to jelly the second he leaned towards the couch, and he collapsed onto the soft cushions. Ken put a pillow under the wizard Digimon's head and Mrs. Ichijōji hurried to help her husband find the first aid kit.

"I hate this." Wizardmon grumbled. "I feel useless."

"You're injured." Ken reasoned. "Take it easy, Wizardmon."

"He's right." Wormmon agreed. "Even if all you have are bumps and bruises, let us help you so you can get better faster."

"Rika was right; you really _don't _like getting help." Ken chuckled.

Wizardmon huffed, blowing his bangs from his face only for them to fall back into place. "Is there anything wrong with wanting to do things on your own?"

Ken's and Wormmon's faces fell. Ken sat on the coffee table and took Wizardmon's hand in his. The Majin blinked in surprise to feel the boy's hand trembling, and he glanced over to see fresh tears in Ken's eyes. Wizardmon sighed softly, but allowed a smile to form on his lips and he gave Ken's hand a comforting squeeze. Ken gave a watery smile, still clutching the Majin's hand like it was the only thing anchoring him to the ground. Wormmon watched with a soft smile.

_He'll learn. _Wormmon tried to reassure himself. _Soon Wizardmon will learn just like Ken did._


	44. Duel of the WarGreymon

**Episode 46: Duel of the WarGreymon**

12月27日

The DigiDestined kids waited patiently while Ken's father went back to his office, searching for the information they requested. Their Digimon rested back at T.K.'s house, where they would meet up again to plan their next course of action. Not only did Ken's parents take the news of Digimon surprisingly well, but Ken's father offered to help them gather information on Oikawa since he did indeed use to work with the strange man. Finally, Mr. Ichijōji appeared and showed them a newspaper clipping from October of 1999.

"There. This is the guy." He pointed to one of the men in the picture and shuddered a bit. "He gives me the willies."

T.K. gasped softly. "It is him!" It was hard to miss those dark eyes and slick black hair, even if it was shorter in the picture and he wore different clothes. But no doubt about it; the man really was Oikawa.

"Well he was at work until just a few days ago." Mr. Ichijōji explained. "But yesterday and today he didn't show up at all. He didn't even call in or anything."

Ken took the newspaper clipping and stared at it. _He looks creepy even back then. _"Thanks Dad. Would it be all right if we kept this picture?"

"Of course, go right ahead." Mr. Ichijōji nodded. "But don't do anything dangerous, okay?" Ken nodded, but his father just crossed his arms and sighed. "Why do I think that's _exactly _what you're going to do?"

"We'll be okay, Mr. Ichijōji." Rika assured as the kids departed. "Thanks again!"

"You let me know if you guys need anything else!" Mr. Ichijōji called after them. The DigiDestined thanked him again before exiting the building, walking down the road towards T.K.'s home.

Cody stared at the picture of Oikawa. "He looks just like an ordinary person."

"Yeah, then why is he able to control Arukenimon and Mummymon?" Yolei scoffed.

"I don't care what he is." Davis said. "I just wanna shut him down!"

"I think we all do, but we can't underestimate this guy." Kari said. "Oikawa's no ordinary human if he's able to control Arukenimon and Mummymon…..and Wizardmon…."

"How _is _Wizardmon, anyway?" Ken asked Rika. "He seemed to be doing all right last night, considering the fight and that spirit. But when he left for your apartment he looked pretty miffed."

"He's all healed and fully reenergized." Rika said, looking down. "But he spent all morning meditating, searching for Oikawa's aura. Then he went running off and he didn't come back for a couple hours. When he did, he just looked angrier than he was before. I'm used to him being secretive, but now he just doesn't talk at all." She sighed. "There's something seriously wrong with him. I think he's starting to reach his breaking point. Sorcermon's been trying to help him, but something tells me he's going through his own problems right now." She groaned. "I'm not sure I want to know what'll happen if that Angel of Darkness spirit comes out again. This really isn't the best time for them to have breakdowns."

"I can see why Wizardmon would be freaking out a bit, but what's wrong with Sorcermon?" Yolei.

"Not sure." Rika shrugged. "He won't talk to me, either. He has been acting strangely for a couple days."

"He's been doing some pretty weird things too." Kari added. "This morning I caught him trying to cut his wrist with a butcher knife. I stopped him just in time, but he seemed surprised by my reaction. When I asked what he was doing, he just told me 'I wanted to see if I would bleed.' I don't think he realized how dangerous the act was."

"He's still that innocent?" Davis asked.

"It's not about innocence anymore." Rika said. "It's more like he's becoming self-aware."

"What, you think he didn't ever know he was made from Control Spires?" Davis shrugged.

"I think….." Cody thought for a moment. "….he's starting to realize what it means to be made from Control Spires." Everyone turned to the boy, pausing in their journey. Cody stared at the ground. "He doesn't bleed, he doesn't have a heart…..so it's almost like he's not alive."

"But we don't treat him like that." Rika said. "Origins shouldn't matter, especially right now."

"Tell that to him." Cody said. "He's probably just as confused as we are."

"One problem at a time, guys." Ken said. "Let's get back to T.K.'s and figure out a plan."

* * *

><p>Mrs. Takaishi shuddered a bit at the sight of Oikawa's picture. "He gives me the willies."<p>

"Yeah, that's what everybody says about him." T.K. assured. By now, he was starting to wonder if Oikawa did it on purpose or if he just gave off that sort of creepy demeanor involuntarily. "Hey, didn't you need to be someplace?"

Mrs. Takaishi checked her watch. "You're right! Fill me in when I get back, okay?" She looked to the rest of the DigiDestined. "Now feel free to make yourselves at home."

"Thanks!" the kids called.

"See you later!" Mrs. Takaishi walked out the door, but paused and rummaged through her bag. "Oh wait. Here." She handed T.K. a piece of paper and hurried off.

T.K. opened the paper and blinked in surprise, but then smiled. _Way to go, Mom. _"Looks like Mom's done some investigating of her own."

Ken seemed surprised. "Didn't you know?" Kari explained. "T.K.'s mom is a newspaper reporter."

"Really?" Ken asked.

T.K. smiled proudly. "Yeah, and look!" He and everyone else, child and Digimon alike, gathered around the kitchen table and stared at the paper Mrs. Takaishi left them. All except Wizardmon, who remained in his deep meditation in T.K.'s room.

"Wow." Davis blinked, staring at the paper. "Uh, what is it?"

"Oh! Is it a grocery list?" Veemon asked excitedly.

"No, goofy." Yolei corrected. "It's the names and addresses of the kidnapped kids."

"Your mom does good work, T.K." Hawkmon complimented.

Wormmon looked to his human partner, noticing the look on his face. "Ken?"

"We've got to save them all before it's too late." Ken said determinedly.

"You can count me in!" Gatomon assured.

"We'll all help." Rika nodded.

"We can't allow those children to become drawn into evil the way I was." Ken said.

"Right!" Davis agreed. "All those kids are depending on us!"

"Yeah!" the kids cheered.

"Hey, I don't mean to cause trouble, but just what is the plan anyway?" Armadillomon asked.

Everyone paused, but Yolei spoke with a decisive tone. "Let's split up and go meet with those kids. If we act quickly, maybe we can stop the Dark Spores from growing. What're we waiting for? Let's go!" Everyone nodded in agreement, but suddenly turned at the sound of hurried footsteps. Wizardmon rushed past, going straight to the terrace.

"Hey, where are you going?" Veemon asked.

"Oikawa's out there." Wizardmon replied simply. "I'm going to find him."

"Wait!" Cody called. "We're about to go out and meet with the kidnapped kids. We may need you and Sorcermon to tell us about the Dark Spores inside them."

"In terms of priorities, those kids aren't really at the top of my list." Wizardmon said, harshness in his tone. "I'm going to find Oikawa and put an end to this."

"Wizardmon, we need you to stick with the plan." Kari requested kindly.

"You do what you want and I'll do what I want." Wizardmon snapped, making Kari recoil a bit.

"Wizardmon!" Rika started for her Digimon, but he already threw open the door to the terrace and leaped off the balcony, flying out into the sky. Rika groaned in frustration. "Okay, _now _he's starting to irritate me."

"Rika, maybe you and Sorcermon should go after him." Gatomon suggested.

"Really?" Rika asked, her face turning to one of confusion. "But what about those kids?"

"We'll take care of them." the white cat Digimon assured. "But I don't feel comfortable letting Wizardmon go off on his own like that. He's too angry right now."

Rika wouldn't admit it out loud, but she didn't feel very comfortable with it either. She sighed. "Okay. Sorcermon and I will see if we can catch up with him. We'll meet up with you guys later." She and Sorcermon darted out the door and down to the street. But by the time they arrived they discovered Wizardmon completely disappeared from sight. "Well that's just perfect." Rika muttered. "Sorcermon, I don't suppose you can find his aura?"

"No, not really." Sorcermon admitted. "He's doing too much moving."

Rika sighed. "Okay. Then let's split up. We'll cover more ground that way."

"Rika, are you sure we need to go after him?" Sorcermon asked. "Maybe he has the right idea for going after Oikawa."

"If Wizardmon reaches Oikawa before we do, things could get ugly." Rika explained. "Who knows? Oikawa might have more information about the Dark Spores that we'll need." She looked around. "Why don't you go towards the forest areas? I'll search downtown. If you find Wizardmon, stop him and bring him back here. Even if he resists, you have to bring him back, understand?"

Sorcermon sighed. "Okay." Rika nodded in satisfaction and ran off, deeper into the city, while Sorcermon morphed his outfit to his human clothes and took off towards the forest. _What's so bad about destroying Oikawa? After all, he's the cause of all our troubles. Taking him out would help us, right? He won't be able to get the Dark Spores if he's gone. _Sorcermon paused in his thoughts, his fast run slowing to a steady walk. _Is it wrong to think that way? I've never thought like that before. At least, not since I worked for Arukenimon. Is this the Control Spire in me speaking, or myself? I suppose it's both, considering what I am. _He rubbed his chest, where the spider-shaped scar still rested in his skin. _Considering who I used to be._

* * *

><p>It took the rest of the day for the DigiDestined to meet with the kidnapped kids. Or at least, they tried to. More than once, the parents of the children would send them away angrily, slamming doors in their faces. The children they <em>did <em>get to speak to only had nasty things to say to them, no matter how calm they stayed. Eventually, it became clear that the direct approach wasn't going to work, and the DigiDestined began making their way to Shibuya Center to meet up and announce their progress.

It was a round of negative responses from everyone.

"Well this day could've gone better." Davis groaned.

"So what do we do now?" Cody asked.

Davis yawned. "I'm too tired to even think straight."

"Yeah, let's not worry about it for now." Yolei said. "Let's meet at my house tomorrow and we'll come up with a plan then."

"Hey wait a minute." Kari looked around. "What happened to Rika and Sorcermon?"

"She knew we were meeting here, right?" Hawkmon asked.

"_Hey guys! Heads up!"_

Everyone jumped when something whizzed past their heads. Looking up, they realized the "something" was Wizardmon as he flew through the air. Rika sprinted past them, shouting "Come on! I need some help here!" The DigiDestined quickly joined in the chase, keeping the Majin in their sights at all times. But even when they called out to him, he wouldn't pause in the slightest.

"All right, that does it!" Yolei snapped, pulling out her D3. "Hawkmon, it's go time!"

"_Digi-Armor Energize!"_

"_Hawkmon Armor Digivolve to…Shurimon, the Samurai of Sincerity!"_

Shurimon instantly caught on and sprinted ahead, much faster than the children and their Digimon. He easily caught up with Wizardmon. "Stop for a moment and listen to us!" he ordered. Wizardmon glared straight ahead, giving no indication that he even heard Shurimon. The samurai sighed. "Very well. Sorry about this!" He suddenly rammed into Wizardmon, knocking him out of the air and sending them crashing to the ground. The others quickly caught up to see Shurimon pinning Wizardmon to a wall in an alleyway, keeping the Majin suspended off the ground so he couldn't escape. That didn't stop him from trying.

"What…..is wrong with you?" Rika panted heavily, as did the others. "Have you gone senile?"

"Let….me…..go!" Wizardmon demanded, still struggling to free himself from Shurimon.

"Wizardmon, what's wrong?" Gatomon demanded, sounding worried but also a little upset.

"I'm guessing you didn't find Oikawa." Davis's remark earned him a smack upside the head from Rika.

Wizardmon growled in frustration. "Of course I didn't! But that's why I can't give up now!"

"Wizardmon, calm down." Shurimon said, still pressing the flats of his shuriken hands against the Majin. "We'll find Oikawa together and take care of him together."

"What do you mean, 'take care of him'?" Cody asked worriedly. "You don't mean hurt him?"

Wizardmon would've snapped at him had the young boy's tone not caught him off guard. He stopped struggling and looked to Cody. "What's the matter, Cody?"

Cody looked down. "Well, it's just that I don't want to hurt any more Digimon, especially after what we had to do to MarineDevimon last night. What if we have to fight those kids because of their Dark Spores?"

Yolei held a similar look of concern. "Nobody else needs to get hurt, even Oikawa. I was devastated when Silphymon destroyed LadyDevimon, even if she was going to hurt me."

"Whoa, hold on a moment." Wizardmon said, sounding a little calmer now. Shurimon finally felt it safe and gently let Wizardmon down. The Majin looked back and forth between Yolei and Cody. "You can't tell me you've really never killed a Digimon before."

"Well…..we have…" Yolei said uncertainly.

"What Digimon?" Wizardmon demanded. "What was the first Digimon you had to destroy?"

"I think it was the Golemon that tried to destroy the dam." Yolei replied. "Or maybe Kimeramon."

"Control Spire Digimon don't count and neither does the Digimon Frankenstein." Wizardmon said. "I'm talking about real, living Digimon." Cody and Yolei didn't answer. "You mean to tell me LadyDevimon and MarineDevimon were the first real Digimon you ever destroyed?"

"Pretty much." Cody shrugged.

Wizardmon stared. "How did you survive even a week in the Digital World?"

"Wizardmon." Rika scolded gently. "They don't know any better."

"Then I'll teach them." Wizardmon said, stepping out of the ally. Shurimon dedigivolved as everyone followed Wizardmon down the street and to a nearby park, away from prying eyes and ears. They sat at a nearby picnic table, giving Wizardmon their full attention.

"You should know by now how we feel about hurting Digimon." Cody said. "What's supposed to change that?"

"Nothing, of course." Wizardmon explained simply. "You're right to respect the lives of Digimon and very kind to avoid killing them. But you're the DigiDestined. Sometimes you have to make the hard decisions when it comes to picking life or death for Digimon. LadyDevimon, MarineDevimon, and SkullSatamon were far too dangerous and caused too much damage to be allowed to live any longer."

"But what right do we have to determine their fate?" Yolei asked in a timid voice.

"It's not about the right you do or do not have." Wizardmon said. "It's about doing what's best for the good of everyone or for each other. If Imperialdramon hadn't destroyed SkullSatamon, an entire bus full of children could've been seriously injured or killed; if Silphymon hadn't destroyed LadyDevimon, she would've killed Yolei; if Shakkoumon didn't take out MarineDevimon when he did, he could've caused a lot of damage to innocent hospital patients. It's the responsibility of the Digimon to protect their human partners, especially if their lives are in danger during the battle. In situations like the ones we've recently been in, sometimes the only choice is to destroy our opponents in order to protect everyone else."

"But even if they're evil, they're still living creatures." Cody protested.

"The keyword there is 'evil'." Ken reminded them. "Digimon like that need to be put in their place. It's never easy, but sometimes it just needs to be done."

"And there's nothing wrong with that." Wizardmon assured. "Sometimes it takes getting destroyed in battle for Digimon like that to realize how foolish they acted. All you can hope for is that when they're reborn they've learned their lesson."

Everyone except for Rika looked up in surprise. "Reborn?" Yolei repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Though living creatures, at the core Digimon are made of data." Wizardmon explained. "Unless our data is completely deleted, we never truly die. We get reconfigured and are reborn in Primary Village as Digi-Eggs."

"So LadyDevimon might come back?" Kari gulped a little.

"Don't forget, I fought LadyDevimon four years ago." Gatomon said. "It's possible our enemies are reborn even after we destroy them."

"Save for a couple, such as Devimon and Piedmon." Wizardmon added. "With how you all fight your opponents, it takes them a while to be reborn, so there's no need to really worry."

The new revelation caused the DigiDestined to pause and think about it. The idea certainly made Cody and Yolei feel a little better. "You know, even with this knowledge, it might still be hard for us to destroy Digimon." Cody said.

"Don't dwell on it." Wizardmon said. "Just keep this talk in mind the next time we're in a fight and start losing."

Yolei stared at Wizardmon, relieved to see he seemed to calm down since his bout of anger from this morning. "Wizardmon. You're not going to kill Oikawa, are you?"

Wizardmon didn't know how to answer that. When he thought carefully on the subject, he knew at once that he didn't want to destroy Oikawa Yukio the human. He was an innocent soul. Myotismon, on the other hand, deserved a very painful death. But he still couldn't clarify this now; not as long as Myotismon still lived within Oikawa. So the Majin let out a breath he didn't even know he held. "No. Of course not. Humans can't be reconfigured. Besides; we may need him in the future." Cody and Yolei looked very relieved, as did everyone else, but Wizardmon could still feel his anger lying dormant in his chest. Tomorrow it would start up again, no doubt about it.

"Let's get home, guys." Kari said after a pause. "We have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

"What about Sorcermon?" Rika asked. "He hasn't met up with us yet."

"He's all right." Wizardmon assured. "Just wandering around. He'll meet up with us tomorrow, I'm sure." Rika didn't seem so sure, but Wizardmon already began walking towards the Kamiya residence so the conversation could not continue. The DigiDestined bid each other farewell before breaking off to their respective homes.

Rika glanced over at Wizardmon, noting how his eyes hardened once more. _There's definitely something wrong with you, isn't there? I only wish you'd talk to me._

Wizardmon remained silent the whole walk home. Truthfully, he didn't have the slightest clue as to where Sorcermon was, but he didn't want to tell anyone that. He also didn't tell them how he was brought back from the dead, not reconfigured. At the moment, it didn't really matter. The anger returned the second he started thinking about Oikawa again, and for now he was blind to any and all other troubles.

_I will destroy you this time. _Wizardmon promised. _You can count on that._

* * *

><p>Sorcermon wandered about the forest for hours on end, not really doing much searching. Rather, he let his feet take him wherever they wanted him to go, hardly paying attention to everything around him. His thoughts wandered, everything from Wizardmon's suddenly angry demeanor to his origins as a Control Spire Digimon. All he could do was ask questions, unable to answer a single one of them. He still remained in his human clothes, never having a reason to change. Although, now that he was thinking about it, it would feel a little more comfortable to have on his jumper and carry his wand in his hands. So he focused his powers and his outfit changed back to his Digimon clothes. He sighed in content, twirling his snowflake-topped staff in one hand.<p>

Then, something white floated down into his line of sight, and he looked up to see snowflakes falling all around him. Within seconds, a steady and strong flurry began. Sorcermon smiled broadly, letting the snowflakes land on his skin. He laughed a little, suddenly feeling like a child. He leaned his staff against a tree and set his hat and gloves on the ground beside it. He moved out to a clear spot, leaning his head back to let the snowflake dot his face and hair. Kneeling down, he cupped his hands and gathered some off the ground. When most people's fingers would grow numb, he felt nothing. The freezing cold was perfect for the ice Majin, and he laughed as he tossed the snow up in the air. Sorcermon swirled his hands around, causing the snowflakes to spin around him almost like a tornado. At his silent command, many of the flakes merged into a snowball right in front of him, and he launched it forward and straight into a tree. Laughing happily, Sorcermon eyed a clear patch of snow that had been untouched by human and animal footprints. Concentrating and waving his hands, more snow obeyed his orders as he made two snow people that perfectly matched Rika and Wizardmon. Sorcermon smiled proudly, feeling happier than he ever felt in his entire life.

But his happiness was interrupted at the sight of a red glow passing over the land, and he looked up to see what looked like a red shooting star flying very low overhead. It suddenly disappeared into the trees and crashed several hundred feet away, but the shockwave that followed sent the snow sculptures toppling to the ground and destroyed them.

"Aww..." Sorcermon groaned sadly. He turned in the direction of the comet's crash, and suddenly he felt a sense of urgency. He quickly pulled on his hat and gloves and grabbed his staff, taking off through the trees and towards the crash site. He reached the area and stared at the destruction the blast left. Some of the trees had fallen from the shockwave, and much dirt and snow was kicked up. A dark figure rose from the crater it left, surrounded by a red glow and lots of sparks. Sorcermon crouched down behind a fallen tree, staring at the figure. When the glow and sparks died down, Sorcermon found he stared at a tall, muscular creature covered in black armor. A bush of bright yellow hair sprouting from the back of his helmet and the gray skin and yellow eyes showing through the eyeholes of his mask indicated he was more beast than machine. He started walking forward, observing his surroundings. But then, the creature paused and turned towards Sorcermon's hiding spot.

"Who's there?" the creature demanded, holding up his razor sharp claws. "Show yourself!"

Sorcermon gulped a bit, but stood up for the creature to see him. "Hello."

The creature didn't move in the slightest. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sorcermon." The ice Majin greeted. "Who are you?"

"BlackWarGreymon." The creature replied.

Sorcermon gasped softly. "_You're _BlackWarGreymon?"

"You know me?" BlackWarGreymon's fighting stance dropped as he realized this Digimon didn't really pose a threat to him.

"Well, I've heard of you." Sorcermon clarified. "You're a Control Spire Digimon, created by Arukenimon, just like me."

"That's what you think." BlackWarGreymon huffed, stepping past Sorcermon.

"Wait!" Sorcermon called, jogging to keep up with the black armored Digimon. "Can we talk for a moment?"

"What for?" BlackWarGreymon demanded, not even slowing down.

"I have questions about being a Control Spire Digimon." Sorcermon said. "I need answers, and who better to give them than another Control Spire Digimon?"

"There are plenty of others who could answer your questions." BlackWarGreymon assured. "I myself am on a journey to find the answers to questions I have about myself."

"I'll help you find those answers if you help me answer my questions." Sorcermon said. "Even if you don't know the answer, you can tell me after I ask."

BlackWarGreymon sighed, a little out of irritation and a little out of tiredness. "Very well." He stopped walking, turning to Sorcermon. "You may ask your questions, and I will do what I can to answer them. After that, you will leave me."

Sorcermon nodded eagerly, sitting cross-legged on the ground. BlackWarGreymon stared for a moment before doing the same, the two Control Spire Digimon facing each other. "Well first, I want to know if being made from Control Spires means you're really alive."

"That I do not know for sure." BlackWarGreymon said. "I suppose we are, but Control Spire Digimon do not have hearts, so we aren't necessarily real. We're artificial."

Sorcermon looked down. "I was afraid of that. Well then what makes us alive?"

"How am I supposed to know?" BlackWarGreymon demanded.

"I don't know." Sorcermon shrugged.

"Is this going anywhere relevant?" BlackWarGreymon droned.

Sorcermon looked down. "Tell me your story. Tell me how Arukenimon created you and why she did. You tell me yours, I'll tell you mine. Maybe then I will get answers."

_How is it I am able to look and listen to this Digimon and somehow see and hear myself? _BlackWarGreymon wondered. _Does _he _have the answers I seek? _"Very well. I will tell you my story."

* * *

><p>Rika pulled back the curtains to stare out at the city. Kari sat up in her bed and glanced over. "Rika, I left the door to the terrace open. When he comes back, he'll be able to get in."<p>

"I know." Rika said. "I just worry about him. He's never been gone for this long."

"He knows how to track auras." Gatomon reassured. "He'll find the apartment all right."

Rika sighed. "That won't stop me from worrying about him."

"Hey, worrying about him means you care." Kari said with a smile. "You really love him, and he loves you too. That's how we know he'll come back."

Rika allowed a smile to form on her face. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

* * *

><p>"<em>Did you think you could escape from me? You will never escape!"<em>

"_Just stay away from me! Get out of my head!"_

"_Oh I don't think so, little wizard. You have power like no other, and I must have it. You will be my slave forever."_

"_No! I won't live my life as a slave to a monster like you!"_

"_You don't have a choice. The moment you joined my army, you were mine."_

"_I will die before I ever serve you."_

_The cruel laughter echoed yet again through the darkness._

"_You fool. Not even death can save you from me."_

"_NO!"_

Wizardmon bolted upright, gasping deeply as he woke from his nightmare. He panted heavily, sweat making his bangs stick to his forehead. The sound of wood creaking made him jump, but he relaxed when Tai appeared.

"You okay?" the brunette asked.

Wizardmon glared at his blanket. "Fine. Just go back to sleep."

"Wizardmon, you know you can talk to any of the DigiDestined about what's bothering you." Tai said. "We're here for problems like yours."

Wizardmon huffed. "You have no idea what I'm going through right now."

"I would if you told me." Tai countered.

"Forget it." The Majin raised a hand, and suddenly the curtain pulled itself closed and separated Tai from the top bunk. The teen sighed softly, but resigned to bed and tried to fall asleep again.

In the pitch blackness of the top bunk, Wizardmon could hardly sleep with the nightmare fresh in his memory. The anger flared up again in his chest.

_No matter what it takes….I will end this._

* * *

><p>BlackWarGreymon found he actually enjoyed talking to Sorcermon. The conversation became much more compelling when he realized his many similarities with the ice Majin. The biggest connection: their origins as Control Spires. After telling each other their stories, the conversation developed to different theories and questions they had about their lives and purposes. It made the hours pass by with ease, and before they knew it the sun began to rise.<p>

"But how did you know you were to be partnered with Child?" BlackWarGreymon asked.

"Rika's Crest glowed when I was near her, and I found a second Crest that turned out to be hers as well." Sorcermon replied. "I felt something when I was near her."

"I see." BlackWarGreymon nodded. "I felt something as well, but I'm not sure it is the same feeling you know."

"I don't know if I can describe it." Sorcermon said. "It's like a voice in my head telling me that I belong with her. That's how I know it's one of my purposes in life."

"'One of'?" BlackWarGreymon repeated.

Sorcermon's gaze became full of anger and determination. "My second purpose is to find Arukenimon and destroy her. I must have my revenge on her for all the pain she caused me and the other DigiDestined; not only that, but she must be destroyed because she forced me to kill the Wisemon that helped create me."

"You seem very determined to see her dead." BlackWarGreymon mused.

Sorcermon glared at the ground. "Sometimes I feel like I shouldn't be partnered with Rika because of my origins."

"Is there something wrong with being a Control Spire Digimon?" BlackWarGreymon sounded a little defensive, but even he didn't know why.

"Of course not." Sorcermon assured. "Especially not for you; you're so powerful and strong. But I'm not like you. I can't DNA Digivolve with Wizardmon because I can't dedigivolve; if we DNA Digivolve, I'll become very weak and then I'm out cold so I can't fight. I can't digivolve on my own. I have scars that will always remind me of who I am. Even now, after being with Rika and Wizardmon for so long, I don't feel like I belong with them. I'm not really alive; I don't fit in with the other DigiDestined Digimon."

"How do you know you're not alive?" BlackWarGreymon asked. "You told me that Wisemon gave you a heart of ice. Though made of ice, it's still a heart, right?"

Sorcermon stared at BlackWarGreymon for a moment. He pulled off one of his gloves and stared at his bare hand. He poked and prodded it a bit; pulling back his sleeve, he did the same to his forearm. BlackWarGreymon watched curiously, but didn't speak. Then, Sorcermon stood and walked up to him. Without warning, the ice Majin grabbed a set of BlackWarGreymon's claws and stabbed them into his arm, dragging the blade through his flesh until he reached his hand. He pushed his hand through the blade until it came out the other end.

"Stop!" BlackWarGreymon jerked his claws back, standing quickly. "What are you doing?!"

Sorcermon stared at his arm, and then showed the wound to BlackWarGreymon. The black armored Digimon stared, a little shocked. A deep gash ran from the inside of Sorcermon's elbow to the center of his palm, where the blade pushed all the way through his hand. With such a gaping wound, it should've gushed blood at an alarming rate. Instead, it looked like a trench carved into wood.

"True hearts allow living creatures to bleed." Sorcermon said. "Hearts of ice don't let me bleed, so I'm not alive; I'm a fake Digimon." He pulled his sleeve back down over his arm and his glove back on his hand, clenching the would-be wounded hand into a fist. "The only way I'll feel alive is by destroying the one who made me this way; the one who made me a fake Digimon."

BlackWarGreymon didn't move for several seconds. "Come with me."

Sorcermon blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I'm on a mission." BlackWarGreymon said. "I will explain the details on the way. If you join me, you will get your revenge sooner rather than later."

Sorcermon looked surprised that the seemingly cold hearted BlackWarGreymon gave such an offer. But he glared determinedly and nodded, scooping up his staff. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>12月28日<p>

The DigiDestined sat in Yolei's bedroom, leaning against the wall and looking quite dejected. Their Digimon rested on the purple-haired girl's bed with similar looks on their faces. That morning, most of them tried to approach the kidnapped kids again. Unfortunately, they had no better luck than the day before. So they met up at Yolei's house to talk about a new course of action. Sorcermon still hadn't shown up, greatly worrying Rika. But she pushed aside the fear for now; they had other problems to be concerned about, and she had confidence that Sorcermon could take care of himself for now.

_I only hope I'm making the right decision by letting him be. _Rika thought.

Yolei broke the tense silence. "Ken, I know you're going to hate hearing this, but I really don't think we're going to be able to remove the Dark Spores from those kidnapped kids. I'm thinking that Oikawa is probably the only person that can extract them. But we may be able to use that to our advantage. He's probably got something specific planned and will come for them sooner or later, so….."

"So if we watch them, we'll catch Oikawa." Patamon finished.

"Right!" Yolei confirmed.

"That's a great idea!" Davis agreed. "We can ask Tai and the others to help us out too." Everyone else voiced their agreements.

Yolei noticed the look on Ken's face. "I'm sorry, Ken. I know you hoped we could save those kids before—"

"You really don't need to worry about me." Ken assured with a smile. "I'll be fine." Yolei smiled too and nodded.

A chiming noise caught their attention, and they soon discovered it was Kari's D-terminal. "You ever _not _get mail?" Gatomon joked.

Kari pulled out the device and opened it. "It's from my brother."

No one else seemed to hear except Rika. "All right!" Davis's voice spurred everyone into action. "Let's get started on this plan, guys!" The kids nodded and cheered a bit.

"Not us." Kari said. "Tai wants me and Rika to join him in a quick trip to the DigiWorld."

"Then we'll catch up with you guys later." Rika decided. "Wizardmon. You're coming with us."

"I was planning to." Wizardmon half-snapped, half-muttered.

_Yeah right. _Rika thought bitterly.

"Take it easy, you two." Gatomon ordered gently. "Let's just get going."

* * *

><p>"They are nearby. I can sense it." BlackWarGreymon said as he and Sorcermon approached their targets. "Perhaps now I will finally find the answers I seek. And you will have your revenge."<p>

"I suppose we're not going with the subtle approach, given how you're stomping about like that?" Sorcermon asked with slight sass in his tone.

"Here's a hint." BlackWarGreymon formed a small Terra Destroyer in his claws and threw it towards the house up ahead, the sphere of energy exploding through a section of the wall.

"Works for me." Sorcermon spun his staff and launched a Crystal Barrage, sending the ice shards through the windows of the house and shattering them. From the smoking hole in the house, Mummymon and Arukenimon leaped outside to see the cause of the destruction. BlackWarGreymon threw another blast, but it missed them and hit the house again.

Mummymon and Arukenimon coughed from the smoke, impatiently waiting for it to clear so they could see who attacked them. When they did, their hearts nearly stopped.

"It's BlackWarGreymon!" Arukenimon gasped.

"Oh no." Mummymon gulped.

"Oh yes." BlackWarGreymon mocked.

Arukenimon's eyes traveled down to BlackWarGreymon's companion. "And Sorcermon? What are you doing here?"

Sorcermon's eyes developed an unnatural, malicious glint. "We're here for you, _my Mistress."_

Arukenimon and Mummymon glared, but inside they felt a twinge of fear. _Who knew my two greatest creations would come back for me someday? _Arukenimon thought bitterly. _No matter; they will soon regret their decision to show themselves to us._

* * *

><p>Kari, Rika, Wizardmon, and Gatomon met Tai at the Kamiya residence to enter the portal. As Tai opened the program, he explained that Agumon sent him a message saying he, Gabumon, and FlameWizardmon needed to speak with them immediately. At the mention of his brother's name, Wizardmon urged Tai to open the gate faster. They teleported off to the Digital World, but when they arrived they were met with quite a surprise. All around them, rocks were upheaved and disheveled; dirt was thrown everywhere; ditches and craters littered the ground. At the moment, they stood on a stone bridge over an exceptionally large ditch.<p>

"Look at all this destruction." Kari breathed. "Any idea what caused it?"

"No." Tai said, regretful that he didn't have a better answer.

"This is wrong." Wizardmon murmured, looking around at what used to be so beautiful. "It's chaos here. Who could've done this?"

"Hey!" Agumon's voice came from over the ridge. "Tai! Kari! Rika!"

They turned to see the yellow dinosaur jogging up towards them, Gabumon and FlameWizardmon on either side of him. FlameWizardmon looked very much worn out, his clothes dirty and his hair a mess. Wizardmon jumped down to the oncoming Digimon as they arrived, going straight to his brother.

"You all right?" he asked.

FlameWizardmon smirked. "Don't you worry about me."

"What happened, guys?" Rika asked. "Why did we need to come so quickly?"

"Sorry to call you into the Digital World like this, but you're in real, serious danger!" Agumon warned.

"You know who is up to something." Gabumon added.

"Twitch my tail." Gatomon breathed.

Kari and Tai shared a fearful look. "You don't mean….?" Kari gulped a little. "Not BlackWarGreymon!" Gabumon and Agumon nodded regretfully.

"Tell us what happened." Wizardmon ordered, mostly to his brother.

"Follow us." FlameWizardmon instructed. "We'll explain on the way." The DigiDestined jumped down to the Digimon and they began walking off.

"It started a couple weeks ago." Gabumon explained. "BlackWarGreymon began tearing through the Digital World, looking like he was searching for something. At first, it wasn't a big deal, but then things took a turn for the worse."

"How so?" Rika asked. "I mean, I thought the Digimon Sovereign were fixing the Digital World after the Destiny Stone incident."

"Remember when Azulongmon gave up some of his power to help us fight in the Real World?" Agumon reminded them. "Well, when Gennai gave that power to all of us, the defenses of the Digital World were weakened."

"Weakened?" Wizardmon repeated.

"It caught our attention the most when BlackWarGreymon started coming towards Witchenly." FlameWizardmon explained. "Some Majin reported that they saw some destroyed areas of the Digital World that weren't returning to normal as fast as they should have. In fact, the areas didn't restore at all. That's when we realized that the Sovereigns weren't strong enough to fix the destruction and keep the balance of the world intact. Luckily, I managed to intercept BlackWarGreymon before he could reach Witchenly, and he went off in a different direction. I took it upon myself to find and stop him before he could cause any more damage." He stared at the ground. "It hasn't been going well."

"With the balance thrown off here, there's not much that can stand in the way of BlackWarGreymon." Agumon said sadly.

FlameWizardmon glared with a frustrated growl. "I've been tracking that overgrown wrecking machine for days, but even when I came so close to stopping him, I failed."

"It's okay, FlameWizardmon." Rika assured. "BlackWarGreymon's unpredictable and you never know what he'll do. It's the one thing that makes him hard to beat."

"I guess we've got no choice but to try and find a way." Tai said, his tone full of sorrow. Not just for the situation, but for the state of the world he grew to love so much.

Gatomon noticed something and gasped softly. "Hey look!" Everyone followed her gaze to see a small gray area that looked different from everywhere else. A mountain stood in the distance, but it seemed to ripple as though made of water.

"What is it?" Tai breathed.

FlameWizardmon gasped. "No way!"

"What?" Wizardmon asked.

"I was tracking BlackWarGreymon until just last night." FlameWizardmon explained. "I swear, he was flying towards this exact same mountain as I chased him. But right before my eyes, the mountain disappeared, and so did he! I bet every piece of data in me; _that _is the exact same mountain I saw when I lost him!"

"It looks like Mt. Fuji." Kari noted.

"That's because it _is _Mt. Fuji." Gabumon confirmed.

Everyone stared at the portal to the Real World that seemed to appear out of thin air. Only now did they understand the extent of the DigiWorld's weak defenses. "Do you mean that BlackWarGreymon is in the Real World?" Tai breathed fearfully.

"That's what Azulongmon told us." Agumon said. "He led us straight to FlameWizardmon to confirm the story. We knew we had to call you guys."

"But we don't have the strength to defeat him." Gatomon protested.

"Agumon got more power from Azulongmon." Gabumon said. "But there wasn't enough power for anyone else."

"Do you think you're up to fighting BlackWarGreymon, buddy?" Tai asked.

"If he really, really wants to." Agumon agreed.

"All right then." Tai decided, determination in his eyes.

"Let's go find him, guys." Kari urged.

"I'm coming with you." FlameWizardmon insisted. "BlackWarGreymon left a trail that only I can see; a trail I can easily track. We'll find him in no time."

"Are you sure?" Rika asked.

"Positive." FlameWizardmon nodded. "Let's just go!" Tai, Kari, Gatomon, and Agumon nodded, and they all took off towards the portal.

Gabumon waved them off. "Be careful with BlackWarGreymon! But you can't let him win!"

* * *

><p>"We meet again." BlackWarGreymon greeted mockingly.<p>

"And this time, we're ready for you." Mummymon assured as he and Arukenimon morphed to their Digimon forms.

"Ready to be defeated again, you mean." BlackWarGreymon brandished his claws threateningly, causing the two evil Digimon to flinch.

"So this is the infamous BlackWarGreymon." Oikawa said as he stepped forward. "And if I recall, this is little Sorcermon. Just what do you two hope to accomplish here?"

"I wish to look upon the face of my creator." BlackWarGreymon answered.

"You've come all this way to see what you've already seen, then." Arukenimon said, feeling a little more confident now. "I gave you life from just the tiny hairs on my head."

BlackWarGreymon kept his harsh glare. "Perhaps…..but who gave _you _life? And who is your creator, Mummymon?"

Mummymon and Arukenimon exchanged looks, stumbling over their words. What was the purpose of such a question? Why did it suddenly seem so important? They certainly never thought about it before, so why now of all times?

The answer became clear and quite shocking when Oikawa stepped in front of his Digimon and said "It was me. I made both of these Digimon by turning my DNA into data. So you see BlackWarGreymon, I am the creator you've been searching for."

"Which would also make you Sorcermon's creator." BlackWarGreymon summarized. "Then we are products of the Real World, not the Digital one. Interesting."

"Yes, I think you've gotten what you came for, haven't you? Now leave us!" Oikawa said, dropping a not-so-subtle hint for the Control Spire Digimon to get lost.

"We're not going anywhere." Sorcermon said, darkness in his tone. "We're not finished with you yet." Oikawa glared hard, looking more than a little irritated.

"It's all beginning to make sense to me now." BlackWarGreymon said. "I've been searching for answers in the Digital World, trying to find the meaning of my existence. But I have been able to find nothing to ease my pain. And now I know why. I was created from you, just like Arukenimon, Mummymon, and Sorcermon were. We are a part of the Real World, foreign to the Digital World. We do not belong there."

Arukenimon and Mummymon stared, their mouths hanging open a little. The revelation seemed almost took much for them. They didn't know whether to feel angry, confused, shocked, or all three.

"If you're done philosophizing, then goodbye." Oikawa turned to leave and Mummymon raised his gun, ready to fire but still with that numb look on his face.

"Not so fast!" Sorcermon snapped. "Don't try and escape just yet."

BlackWarGreymon raised a set of his claws. "We will leave…as soon as we're done here." Oikawa paused and turned to glare at the Control Spire Digimon. "Foreign objects must be eliminated."

Oikawa laughed. "What are you talking about? I'm not a foreign object."

"But you are." BlackWarGreymon insisted. "You belong in neither the Digital World nor the Real World. You upset the balance of both."

"This guy's talking crazy!" Mummymon breathed. "Do you want me to, uh, take care of him for you, Boss? Boss?"

A crazed look came to Oikawa's eyes. _"A foreign object? I give you life and this is how you repay me?!"_

"What's going on?" Arukenimon demanded to no one in particular.

"We know our purpose in life." Sorcermon said. "And right now, that purpose is to bring back balance to the Digital and Real Worlds. In order for that to happen, all imbalances must be destroyed." He twirled his staff and BlackWarGreymon readied his claws. "Now die, Oikawa!"

The two Control Spire Digimon charged for the human, ready to wipe him out completely.

Mummymon and Arukenimon instinctively jumped forward to protect their master.

Oikawa just stood there with that same angrily deranged look in his eyes.

"_Wait! Wait! Wait!"_

The battle came to a screeching halt before it even began, and they glanced over to see Tai, Rika, Kari, their Digimon, and FlameWizardmon come running towards them.

"Rika?" Sorcermon blinked.

"Sorcermon!" Rika called. "Is _this _where you've been? With BlackWarGreymon?"

"You!" BlackWarGreymon growled, his eyes locked on Agumon. "I remember you."

The DigiDestined stood a safe distance away, careful to not do anything that would provoke the fight to continuing. "Let's talk about this!" Agumon pleaded.

"There is nothing to talk about!" BlackWarGreymon snarled, lunging towards Oikawa with his claws poised to kill. Sorcermon lunged as well, ready to fight.

"Hey look out!" Tai called. A bright light erupted from his Digivice, and Agumon began glowing.

"_Agumon Warp Digivolve to…WarGreymon!"_

WarGreymon's claws locked with BlackWarGreymon's. In shock, Sorcermon suddenly stumbled and hit the ground. FlameWizardmon darted in and dragged him to safety as the two Mega Digimon began battling it out. Oikawa, Mummymon, and Arukenimon took their opportunity and suddenly ran off.

"Gatomon!" Kari urged. "Stop him, quick! Digi-Armor Energize!"

"_Gatomon Armor Digivolve to….Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"_

"Wizardmon, your turn!" Rika pulled out her Digivice. But suddenly, Wizardmon shot off into the air and flew after Oikawa and his Digimon creations. Rika shouted in frustration. "Seriously? He chooses _now _of all times to start being unreasonably stubborn?"

"I can carry three people, but even that's a stretch." Nefertimon said as Kari and Rika hurriedly climbed onto her back.

"No problem." Sorcermon assured. "FlameWizardmon, come with me. I hope you like sledding."

"What's that supposed to mean?" FlameWizardmon asked nervously as Sorcermon began using his magic to swirl the snow around them. Before their eyes, an oval-shaped ice board formed under their feet, and Sorcermon used his magic to propel them forward and through the snow. Nefertimon took off into the skies, and the four of them joined in the chase while Tai watched the battle.

"Why do you protect him?" BlackWarGreymon demanded, kicking WarGreymon to the ground.

"Because without Oikawa, we'll never get the Dark Spores out of those kids." Tai reasoned. "Don't you understand? They'll stay in there forever if we let you destroy him."

"Then you should've stopped him, not attacked me!" BlackWarGreymon lunged for the boy.

WarGreymon shot forward to intercept his darker counterpart. "Don't even think about hurting Tai!"

They clashed together yet again, and the fierce battle began between them.

* * *

><p>Arukenimon kept her foot pressed to the gas and she gripped the steering wheel tightly, speeding down the road as fast as the car would go to get away from their enemies. But looking out the windows, they saw Nefertimon and Wizardmon flying through the air and quickly gaining ground.<p>

"Stop them." Arukenimon ordered.

Mummymon nodded and leaned out the window. _"Snake Bandage!" _He threw the lengths of linen, but the flying Digimon quickly darted out of the way.

"_Cat's Eye Beam!" _the twin shots of energy hit the back of the van, but Mummymon suddenly tore off the back hatch and chucked it at them. This too they dodged with ease. Wizardmon launched a Thunder Ball, but Mummymon fired at it with his gun and an explosion resulted upon impact.

"We better call the others." Nefertimon urged.

"Right." Kari nodded, quickly pulling out her D-terminal.

The Digimon continued the chase, keeping close beside the van as it sped away. Sorcermon and FlameWizardmon slid alongside the shoulder of the road, right alongside the speeding vehicle. Sorcermon needed to use his power to keep the disk moving, so FlameWizardmon took care of attacking. The fire mage launched fire ball after fire ball, hoping to cause some sort of damage. Mummymon managed to duck inside the van just in time to avoid catching fire before firing his gun towards the Majin. Sorcermon forced them to go faster, swerving a bit as the blast nearly hit them. Mummymon's blasting became more frequent and wild, his gun's laser firing randomly into the air. The DigiDestined Digimon and FlameWizardmon threw what attacks they could while also trying to avoid being fried. The mountain road suddenly became curved, but Arukenimon didn't slow down in the slightest despite how much the van lurched as she made the turns.

"Hang on, FlameWizardmon!" Sorcermon called over the wind. "We're about to do something crazy!"

"This whole situation is crazy!" FlameWizardmon called back. But he readied himself for whatever would happen next. Sorcermon put on even more speed so they traveled ahead of the van, staring at the turn rapidly approaching. Taking a breath, the ice Majin swished his hands briskly from one side to the other, and a curved ramp of snow and ice formed. Suddenly FlameWizardmon realized what Sorcermon planned.

"Oh cinders." He muttered.

The disk they rode hit the ramp, took a turn, and shot onto the road and straight towards the van. Mummymon pointed his gun at the oncoming Digimon just in time. The ice board took more damage than they did, but the blast still sent the two Majin flying backwards.

"Oh no!" Rika gasped, turning to stare at her fallen friends heading straight towards the pavement.

FlameWizardmon and Sorcermon shouted, waiting for their bodies to hit the cold, hard asphalt. Instead, FlameWizardmon landed on some soft red feathers and Sorcermon into someone's arms.

"Never fear!" Aquilamon called triumphantly. "The gang's all here!"

"You're just in time!" Kari called happily.

"Nice catch, guys!" Rika added. FlameWizardmon and Sorcermon seemed a little dazed, but shook it off and took their spots behind Yolei and T.K. respectively.

Kari noticed something. "Hey, where's Davis and Ken?"

"They went ahead to cut off traffic!" T.K. replied.

"Cody's making sure the military base doesn't get involved either!" Yolei added.

"Awesome work, guys!" Rika complimented. "Now let's get 'em!" They took off after the van, still dodging Mummymon's blasts and sending multiple ones of their own.

Oikawa felt his frustration grow at the stubbornness of his enemies. "Maybe_ I _should drive." He told Arukenimon.

"Fine." The spider woman said, morphing to her Digimon form and climbing to the roof of the van.

"It's about time!" Mummymon complained. "It's six on one out here!"

"Let's even the odds." Arukenimon suggested.

"_Spider Thread!"_

"_Snake Bandage!"_

Oikawa looked in the side view mirror to see the DigiDestined swerving to get out of the way of the double attacks. He laughed. "Take that, brats!" He looked ahead, confident in his escape, when he noticed the very tall Paildramon standing right in the road. Ken and Davis stood on the ridge just above, not backing down in the slightest. Paildramon lunged for the van, ready to finally stop its speedy travel.

A red blast came out of nowhere, hitting the side of the mountain and causing smoke and debris to fly. Oikawa swerved a bit, but got the car to go around Paildramon and continue down the road.

"He's escaping!" Davis shouted.

"No duh!" Rika snapped. "Where did that blast come from?"

"There!" FlameWizardmon shouted, pointing to the still-raging battle between WarGreymon and BlackWarGreymon.

"They're heading towards the base!" Ken realized as he watched the Megas fight.

"Yeah, but should we stop them or go after Oikawa?" Davis asked.

"Which one is it gonna be, guys?" Paildramon asked quickly.

Davis clutched his head and groaned. "Aw man! I don't know! I guess it should be the base!"

"Imperialdramon can take care of that." Rika assured. "We'll keep going after Oikawa!"

"Let's go, then!" Ken urged.

"_Paildramon Mega Digivolve to…Imperialdramon!"_

Imperialdramon took off after the WarGreymon battle, but Ken's attention was drawn to Oikawa's van taking off. "There they go!"

"Come on, we can still catch them!" Kari urged as Aquilamon, Pegasusmon, and Nefertimon continued the chase.

"Wizardmon, Sorcermon!" Rika called, taking out her Digivice. "DNA Digivolve!"

"No!" Wizardmon snapped.

"Bro, this is no time to be stubborn." FlameWizardmon argued.

"I'm going after BlackWarGreymon." Wizardmon decided, taking a sharp turn to go after Imperialdramon. "I've had enough of him!"

"Wizardmon, get back here!" Rika ordered. Wizardmon didn't even hesitate. Suddenly, he began to glow with the light of Digivolution.

"_Wizardmon Warp Digivolve to….Beelzemon!"_

The Mega Demon Lord flapped his wings and shot off, far away from the DigiDestined as they continued their chase after Oikawa.

Rika stared at Beelzemon for a moment and then back at her Digivice. "I didn't do that."

"You mean he digivolved to Mega on his own?" Nefertimon asked in awe.

Rika stared after her departing Digimon. "Sometimes I forget…just how powerful he is." Her gaze hardened as she turned towards Oikawa's van. "Sorcermon, you ready to fight?"

No answer came, and T.K. turned to discover the seat behind him empty. "Hey, where'd he go?"

"Oh not him too!" Rika groaned.

"Forget about it, Rika." Pegasusmon assured. "He's probably going to help with BlackWarGreymon. Our priority is Oikawa."

Rika didn't necessarily like the answer, but nodded.

* * *

><p>As the WarGreymon battle reached a more populated area, people began running away in terror and screaming, only adding to the chaos. WarGreymon tried to stay strong, but he could feel the fatigue beginning to set in. BlackWarGreymon suddenly landed a powerful kick that sent his lighter counterpart crashing into a building. WarGreymon groaned in pain, his senses taking longer than normal to bounce back.<p>

"You shall face your doom!" BlackWarGreymon shouted, preparing another Terra Destroyer.

"NO!"

"_Imperialdramon Mode Change to….Fighter Mode!"_

Imperialdramon Fighter Mode crashed into BlackWarGreymon, pushing him up higher into the air and away from WarGreymon. Once he regained some of his strength, WarGreymon shot up into the clouds and after them.

"Unhand me!" BlackWarGreymon demanded. Imperialdramon didn't even flinch, not releasing BlackWarGreymon until they broke through a layer of clouds.

"This is your last chance!" WarGreymon warned his darker twin.

"Why is he so eager to fight?" Stingmon's voice asked from Paildramon.

"I don't know." ExVeemon's voice replied. "But if we fight here, at least no one will be hurt."

"So be it." BlackWarGreymon growled, readying a final attack in his claws. _"Terra—"_

_WHAM!_

WarGreymon and Imperialdramon jumped when something suddenly crashed into BlackWarGreymon and tackled him aside, forcing them to crash onto land.

"What was that?" Imperialdramon asked.

"I don't know, but we have to help!" WarGreymon urged as they flew hurriedly after BlackWarGreymon.

BlackWarGreymon's back hit the ground, but he kicked off his new opponent and hurriedly stood up. "Who are you? Why do you attack me?"

Beelzemon glared hard at BlackWarGreymon. "I am Beelzemon, the Mega form of the Wizardmon you know. I've had enough of just standing by and watching you cause so much damage."

"Oh really?" BlackWarGreymon asked mockingly.

"You hurt my friends; you tore apart my home; and for what? A good fight?" Beelzemon drew his pistol, spinning it in his free hand. "Well fine then. You want a fight? You got one."

BlackWarGreymon growled. "Fine!" He shot forward, thrusting his claws towards the Demon Lord. Beelzemon easily blocked the attack and landed a firm front kick to the Control Spire Digimon's jaw.

Imperialdramon and WarGreymon finally noticed who it was. "Beelzemon?" Imperialdramon realized. "What are you doing?"

"Stay out of this!" Beelzemon snapped as he continued fighting with BlackWarGreymon. The two opponents stuck more with hand-to-hand combat, forcing WarGreymon and Imperialdramon to not attack in fear of hitting their friend.

_I've never seen Wizardmon so angry. _ExVeemon thought. _What the heck could've set him off so badly?_

"We have to stop this without hurting either one of them." WarGreymon urged, he and Imperialdramon beginning to advance on the fight.

"I said stay out of this!" Beelzemon shouted.

"Best do what he says." BlackWarGreymon kicked Beelzemon to the ground before throwing a small Terra Destroyer that sent WarGreymon and Imperialdramon flying backwards. The Control Spire Digimon returned to his fight with Beelzemon, slashing his claws. Beelzemon caught BlackWarGreymon's wrist and flipped him over his shoulder, sending the black armored Digimon into the ground.

"Is that the best you can do?" Beelzemon taunted.

"I'll admit, you _are _a worthy opponent." BlackWarGreymon said. "Perhaps you should accept that and move on." In response, Beelzemon suddenly shot his pistol towards BlackWarGreymon, who narrowly avoided it. "Are you _trying _to get killed?"

"As if you had the power to stop me." Beelzemon laughed.

BlackWarGreymon glared hard. "Do not underestimate me! _Terra Destroyer!" _He threw the massive blast.

"_Oblivion Cannon!" _Beelzemon launched the blast. The two energies met in the middle, causing a great explosion and plenty of smoke. Beelzemon coughed a bit, now completely blinded. By the time the smoke cleared, BlackWarGreymon was already on top of him, kicking and punching and swiping his claws across the Demon Lord Digimon. Beelzemon shouted in pain again and again, unable to defend himself against the attacks. BlackWarGreymon kicked Beelzemon to the ground, stomping his foot onto Beelzemon's chest and pinning him to the rocks. Beelzemon coughed up a little blood, the weight of BlackWarGreymon's foot making his ribs start to crack. BlackWarGreymon grabbed Beelzemon by the throat and lifted him off the ground. He struggled and kicked a little, fighting to break free.

"Are you done now, Beelzemon?" BlackWarGreymon demanded. Beelzemon glared defiantly and raised his pistol to BlackWarGreymon's head, firing a single shot. But though smoke erupted and the blast met its mark, Beelzemon's eyes widened to see that it didn't leave a scratch. "So be it!" BlackWarGreymon threw Beelzemon aside, throwing a blast of energy that sent the Demon Lord into the rocks. BlackWarGreymon walked up to the fallen Digimon, watching as Beelzemon dedigivolved back to Wizardmon. The Majin struggled to move, his muscles refusing to work for him. His jade green eyes locked a fierce glare onto BlackWarGreymon.

"Wizardmon!" Imperialdramon shouted as he and WarGreymon darted towards them.

"You brought this on yourself. Now die!" BlackWarGreymon lunged forward, claws aimed right for Wizardmon's chest. Imperialdramon and WarGreymon fought to go faster, but deep down they knew they'd never make it. Wizardmon hardly moved, either from tiredness or from losing the will to do it, and just waited for the claws to come and take his life.

_Finally. _He thought as the claws came closer and closer. _Death will set me free._

_SHINK!_

* * *

><p>Rika suddenly gasped, clutching her chest where her heart beat beneath skin and muscle. "Rika?" Kari asked worriedly. "What is it?"<p>

Rika struggled to fight the pain in her heart. "Something's wrong…..something's happened…."

"What?" Yolei asked hurriedly. "What's happened?"

A glow caught Rika's eye, and she pulled out her tags and Crests. Her eyes widened.

The white Crest of the Guardian began to glow, but then flickered and went out. The Crest turned gray.

"Sorcermon." She gasped.

* * *

><p>It was deathly still all around.<p>

WarGreymon and Imperialdramon stopped dead in their tracks, staring at what just happened.

BlackWarGreymon stayed frozen in the spot, staring at what just happened.

Wizardmon's eyes grew wide with disbelief and shock, staring at what just happened.

….

Sorcermon stood there with BlackWarGreymon's claws coming out of his chest, his eyes already losing their luster.

BlackWarGreymon jerked backwards from the shock, his claws ripped free from Sorcermon's body. He stepped back several feet, watching with wide eyes as Sorcermon began falling. Wizardmon's muscles got an adrenaline rush and he shot forward, catching his white-clothed twin and kneeling on the ground with Sorcermon cradled in his arms.

"Sorcermon!" Wizardmon called, shaking the ice Majin a little. "Sorcermon, don't die! Come on, stay with me! Stay with me, Sorcermon! Don't die!"

"Oh no." Imperialdramon murmured sadly.

BlackWarGreymon could only stare at the white-clothed Majin. Sorcermon's head lolled backwards, his hat fallen off and his eyes staring into nothingness. It was clear he was already dead, and if not he soon would be. _Why did he do it? _BlackWarGreymon thought. _Why did he so willingly step in front of my attack? Just for this Wizardmon. But why? Why would he jump in the way of an attack that killed him? _He paused. _Could it be…for the same reason I protected that tiny flower from Mammothmon? But even I don't know why I did it, so how can I know why he did?_

Wizardmon fought to keep his tears back; at the moment, though, he seemed more angry than upset. "Don't you dare die, Sorcermon! Don't die!"

Then, Sorcermon took a soft, wheezing breath. Wizardmon waited anxiously, happy for the sign of life. But save for the breath, Sorcermon still wouldn't move. "How can a Digimon die….if he was never really alive?"

The comment made Wizardmon freeze, but he glared. "Don't say that! You've always been alive. Being a made from Control Spires doesn't determine who you are! You're going to be fine, just hang on!" But Sorcermon became very still, his still-open eyes void of all light and life. Wizardmon trembled, tears forcing their way out of his eyes. "You once asked me what I strive for in life, my reason for fighting. It's love; all right, it's love. It's the need to find people to care about and protect them with my life. And I found it; I found Gatomon and Kari and Rika and….and you….you're my family….and I don't want to lose anyone because…because for the longest time I was alone, and I'm afraid to be alone again." Wizardmon hugged his twin. "Please…don't leave me…..I can't lose someone else I care about…"

* * *

><p>Rika closed her eyes as the pain in her heart subsided. She pulled out her Digivice, tags, and Crests. She held the objects to the sky. "Wizardmon. Sorcermon. You're DigiDestined Digimon; so use the power of my Digivice and Crests. Do what needs to be done!"<p>

Her Crests and Digivice began to glow, and suddenly a white and black light shot up into the air and arced away from her.

* * *

><p>Imperialdramon, WarGreymon, and BlackWarGreymon noticed the light just as it hit Wizardmon and Sorcermon. They stared in awe when they realized the lights formed a Yin-Yang symbol on the ground, with Wizardmon resting in the black half and Sorcermon in the white.<p>

Wizardmon stared up at the light, feeling new power surge within him. _Rika. _He felt movement and looked down to see Sorcermon shakily raising a hand. Wizardmon glared in determination and took Sorcermon's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Let's do this, otōto-san."

He had to strain to hear Sorcermon's soft reply. "Hai, onīsan."

The other Mega Digimon shielded their eyes as the light grew brighter, completely enveloping the two Majin. When the light finally died, Baihumon stood in the place of Wizardmon and Sorcermon. The white tiger roared at BlackWarGreymon, who narrowed his eyes in return.

"Well I suppose now you think you can beat me." BlackWarGreymon guessed.

"It doesn't have to be that way." WarGreymon offered.

"You don't have to keep fighting us." Imperialdramon added.

"Yes, I do." BlackWarGreymon snarled.

Baihumon growled again. "You brought this fate upon yourself, BlackWarGreymon. Imperialdramon, WarGreymon. You know what to do."

"Right." The two mentioned Megas nodded. The four Digimon glared in determination, preparing themselves for one final, decisive attack that would determine the victor of the battle.

Then…

"_Terra Destroyer!"_

"_Terra Force!"_

"_Positron Laser!"_

"_Kongou!"_

* * *

><p>"We're right on their tails!" FlameWizardmon cheered as Oikawa's van started getting closer to them. Then they noticed the van screech to a halt in front of a train crossing, blocked off by an incoming train. The human and his Digimon companions darted off into the marketplace area, but the DigiDestined stayed close behind.<p>

"Yolei, you and the others better follow on the road." Aquilamon suggested.

"We'll take care of this." Nefertimon assured. The kids nodded and leaped off their Digimon following on the ground as they continued the chase. Many people in the area ran away in terror, forcing the DigiDestined kids to weave their way through the crowds. The Digimon flew as fast as they could, keeping close behind Oikawa, Mummymon, and Arukenimon but unfortunately seeing no way to stop them.

"With all these people around, I can't attack." Nefertimon groaned.

"I can!" Mummymon laughed, firing his gun. The blast made contact with each of the oncoming Digimon, electrocuting them and forcing them to crash to the ground. Aquilamon, Pegasusmon, and Nefertimon dedigivolved as they hit the cobblestone path. Oikawa, Mummymon, and Arukenimon sprinted off and disappeared from sight.

"Hawkmon!" Yolei cried.

"Guys!" Rika yelped. Yolei and T.K. quickly scooped up their Digimon, holding them close. Rika came to FlameWizardmon's side and helped him to his feet.

Kari knelt beside Gatomon, lifting the cat into her arms. "Gatomon? Speak to me!"

Gatomon wearily opened her eyes. "So did we get him?"

Yolei stared after Oikawa. "No. He got away."

"Just when we almost had him!" Patamon whined.

T.K. perked up at the sound of sirens. "It's the police. We better get going." Reluctantly, they hurried off and away from the scene.

* * *

><p>When the smoke cleared, BlackWarGreymon laid on his back on the rocky ground and his three opponents still stood strong. They approached the fallen Digimon, staring at him with unreadable gazes.<p>

"Well go on." BlackWarGreymon goaded. "Finish me off while you have the chance."

None of his opponents moved for a long, tense moment. "No." Baihumon said softly. "We won't do it."

"That's right." WarGreymon and Imperialdramon agreed.

"What good would it do, anyway?" Imperialdramon asked, his tone indicating a rhetorical question.

Then, Baihumon began to glow, and he dedigivolved. WarGreymon and Imperialdramon watched with mournful looks as the light died to reveal Wizardmon kneeling on the ground and Sorcermon lying lifeless before him. Wizardmon blinked away tears at the sight of his dead twin. Then, Sorcermon's skin, hair, and clothes tore to pieces and disappeared to reveal the Control Spire core in the shape of the Majin's body. That too, cracked and burst into dust, blowing away in the wind. Wizardmon's fists clenched in anger.

_Even after everything… _Wizardmon thought bitterly. _…all that happened…..the times we DNA Digivolved…..he was always a Control Spire Digimon deep down._

"Wizardmon, look!" WarGreymon said suddenly.

Wizardmon looked up to where Sorcermon used to rest, only to discover a small, icy blue ball of fire, its core the size of a softball. "A Life Flame." Wizardmon dared himself to move closer, placing his hands under the fire and lifting it up so the Life Flame floated in his palms. WarGreymon and Imperialdramon looked just as surprised when the flame glowed brighter and suddenly became surrounded by an oval-shaped case covered in the same white symbols that graced Wizardmon's cape.

"He turned into a Digi-Egg!" Imperialdramon gasped happily.

Wizardmon smiled, gently hugging the pale blue egg to his chest. "I told you so. You were always alive."

"I don't understand you." BlackWarGreymon growled, still too weak to stand. "Why don't you destroy me? I tore apart the Digital World, I threatened your friends, and I killed Sorcermon. Why don't you take the chance and eliminate me?"

The DigiDestined Digimon stared at BlackWarGreymon for a moment. Imperialdramon and WarGreymon dedigivolved and the four of them stood around BlackWarGreymon.

"You're kidding me!" Wormmon exclaimed in disbelief. "Is that what you're after?"

"What?" BlackWarGreymon asked in surprise.

"You mean this whole time we've been chasing you around, watching you blow up everything blow-up-able…..you just wanted to find something to destroy you?" Wormmon demanded. "Don't you have anything better to do with your free time?" BlackWarGreymon didn't answer, so Wormmon continued in a bit of a mocking tone. "'My life as no meaning. Poor, poor, pitiful me.'" He stood up a little straighter. "I know all about self-pity. When Ken was the Digimon Emperor, he treated me like fish bait. I almost started to believe the awful things he said. But deep inside, I had faith that someday the real Ken would come back to me. I just kept trying to get through to him. I didn't give up and neither can you."

BlackWarGreymon stared at Wormmon for a moment before turning to Agumon as he spoke. "Even if your life _is _all fighting and struggle, it can still have meaning. I've had to fight all my life, but I believed in what I was fighting for. I think it's that belief, not the fighting, that has given my life meaning. Can you imagine the trouble Tai would get into without me? If all you've got in your life is lemons, make lemon pie! Hey! I'm hungry!"

"And your life doesn't, you know, have to be filled with a whole bunch of incredibly amazing events to be special." Veemon threw in. "Believe me. Some of the best times I've had are just eating and sleeping and hanging out with my friends! And the thing is, we would all be your friends if you just gave us the chance to be."

"He's right." Wormmon agreed. "Look at Ken; he never thought he could have friends and now he has lots of them. You just need to lighten up a little. Give us a chance."

BlackWarGreymon rolled up and stood, the hardness in his eyes leaving. "I don't know."

"Please don't go." Veemon begged.

"Don't you want some pie?" Agumon asked innocently.

Wizardmon approached BlackWarGreymon. "You need to remember what Azulongmon said. The circumstances of our birth does not determine our fate. Look at Sorcermon." He held up the egg in his hands. "He was made from Control Spires and told he would serve Arukenimon forever. But he didn't want to follow that path, so he chose to find a different one. And he found us. You don't have to follow the path of the warrior if it doesn't make you happy. You don't even have to follow a certain path; you can make your own."

BlackWarGreymon stared at the egg in Wizardmon's hands, thinking back to the ice Majin that brought him comfort in a similar way that Rika did. "This is all so foreign to me. I must think on it."

"Are you sure?" Wormmon asked uncertainly.

"I thank you for your advice." BlackWarGreymon said sincerely.

"You're welcome." Veemon replied.

"Perhaps it _is _time to put aside my warrior ways." BlackWarGreymon mused. "They have provided me few answers. And maybe one day we could even be…..friends….." He took off into the skies, leaving the DigiDestined Digimon behind. They watched him go, a little sad but also happy that BlackWarGreymon no longer seemed to pose a threat and actually listened to their words.

_I hope so, BlackWarGreymon. _Agumon thought. _I hope so._


	45. BlackWarGreymon's Destiny

**Episode 47: BlackWarGreymon's Destiny**

12月29日

"_Despite reports that monsters have been appearing worldwide, government agencies have been hesitant to respond. They've dismissed these sightings as the work of practical jokers. However, recent incidents have prompted officials to take the issue seriously. In a press conference today, it was revealed that these so-called 'monsters' would be considered unidentified life forms. The home defense force is expected to head up the investigation. In the meantime, the public is being strongly cautioned not to panic and to stay calm. So don't monster-proof your homes yet, folks. They say it's probably nothing but a silly hoax."_

Mr. Ishida hurriedly took down notes on his laptop, mentally reminding himself to relay the information to his sons when they returned home today. He didn't really need to wonder where T.K. and Matt were now. They did what every other DigiDestined did: kept a close eye on the Dark Spore children to see if anything happened to them. Not that they could do much else, given how they lost Oikawa yesterday.

But the DigiDestined didn't want to think about what happened; not only did they lose Oikawa and couldn't find him again, they lost a member of their team.

Sorcermon's death hit everyone hard, and for the original eight DigiDestined it renewed the pain they felt when they lost so many Digimon friends to the Dark Masters, MetalEtemon, and Myotismon. At least there was the silver lining of Sorcermon becoming a Digi-Egg, despite his origins as a Control Spire.

* * *

><p>Rika waited anxiously as the Primary Village Elecmon looked over Sorcermon's egg, his eyes narrowed in concentration. A couple of the baby Digimon came over to investigate, staring in awe at the pale blue egg with white symbols all over it. FlameWizardmon, Wizardmon, and Rika sat on the ground before Elecmon, patiently waiting for him to finish the examination. Wizardmon glanced around at Primary Village, noticing how the colors of the area dulled considerably. <em>This place used to be so beautiful. It's going to take a lot to return it to normal.<em>

Elecmon smiled warmly. "Rika, you should be very happy."

Rika started a little, jolted from her thoughts. Wizardmon and FlameWizardmon cast her sympathetic glances, understanding how terrible she felt now. When Wizardmon returned to her with an egg instead of her second Digimon, she was devastated to know Sorcermon was killed. But it also made her happy to know that he turned into a Digi-Egg, so there was hope he would come back. The pure white color returned to her Crest of the Guardian, confirming life within the egg. The raven-haired girl smiled. "So he looks good?"

"It's one of the healthiest eggs I've seen in a long time." Elecmon said, gently handing the egg to Rika. "But you have to take good care of him. He'll be safer in your world than here."

Rika nodded, gently hugging Sorcermon's egg to her chest. "Sorry to see the state of the DigiWorld now. But it'll get better, I'm sure."

"If T.K. and Patamon have taught me anything, it's that we can't give up." Elecmon confirmed. "Just be careful, okay? From what I hear, you DigiDestined are really going through some tough stuff."

"They can handle it." FlameWizardmon assured as they all stood.

"Care to join us in our fight?" Rika asked the fire mage. "We could use a little extra help with Oikawa and those Dark Spore kids."

"Thanks, but I've got plans." FlameWizardmon said. "I'm going to return to Witchenly and tell the Majin what happened and what's going on. Then we'll all spread out and protect the Digimon not in hiding. Who knows? Maybe we'll be able to help the Digimon Sovereign in restoring the Digital World. The Majin of Witchenly and I will let everyone know what you guys are doing and do what we can to help on our end. You just focus on things happening in the Real World."

"We will." Wizardmon nodded.

FlameWizardmon noticed the look in his brother's eyes; the normal glow to those dark jade green orbs long since disappeared, leaving a darkness FlameWizardmon never saw in Wizardmon before. The fire Majin smiled. "Hang in there, okay bro?"

Wizardmon looked up to his brother and nodded a little, his soft smile hidden by his cowl as usual. He and Rika returned to the Real World once they bid their friends farewell. They touched down in Kari's room and Rika sat at the desk, rubbing Sorcermon's egg with her thumb. Wizardmon stared at the ground, his fists clenched. Rika noticed and felt a sense of dread. _He's become so angry now. But why? Why is he all of a sudden like this? Could it be because of the Angel of Darkness?_

"Come on." Wizardmon's voice brought Rika from her thoughts. "I told Cody we would help him take over Yolei's shift watching Noriko."

Rika looked down. "Uh, actually I was thinking we could go somewhere else. I mean…"

"We don't have time to wastes on frivolities." Wizardmon said in a bit of a harsh tone. "Those kids are our priority. We _cannot _let Oikawa get those spores."

"But I was just thinking—"

"I'm going to meet with Cody now so he doesn't get there without me." Wizardmon interrupted, marching towards the door. "Are you coming or not?" Rika didn't answer, the anger in her Digimon's tone taking away any words in her throat. Wizardmon continued marching off until Rika heard the front door slam shut forcefully.

Rika sighed softly, hugging Sorcermon's egg to her chest again. "I wish you were still here, Sorcermon." She whispered. "You always knew how to stay calm in situations like this. If you can hear me now, I could really use a bit of guidance. Any words of wisdom?" No response came, and Rika sighed again. She gently kissed the egg and climbed up to Kari's bed, setting the precious item on the pillow. The raven-haired girl slid down the ladder and made her way to the door, looking back only once to give a small wave to the egg.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry to be late! My mom was worried and didn't want me to leave." Cody called as he, Armadillomon, and Wizardmon hurried up to Yolei and Hawkmon. The young boy propped his wrapped shinai on one shoulder with his kendo bag hanging off the end; if he didn't at least leave the house with it, his mother would be even more concerned than she was already.<p>

"I don't blame her!" Yolei assured. "Hey, where's Rika?"

"Off somewhere else." Wizardmon said dismissively. "Either wasting time or at least helping out a _little._"

There was a moment of brief, tense silence before Yolei broke it with her usual, cheerful tone. "Well I'm sure glad you're here. I'm ready for a break."

"You better go get something to eat before it's time for the next shift." Cody suggested.

"A chocolate bar is calling out my name!" Yolei cheered as she and Hawkmon jogged off. "See ya!"

"You mind bringing me back something?" Armadillomon called after them.

"I'd be delighted!" Hawkmon nodded as he followed Yolei from the air. "How about quiche?" He didn't leave time for an answer as he and Yolei disappeared around the corner.

"I don't care if it's quiche-d or squashed." Armadillomon said. "As long as it's edible." Cody would've laughed, but a sudden screech broke through the freezing winter air. Cody, Armadillomon, and Wizardmon hurried over closer to Noriko's house, listening to her scream about some book and her mother desperately try to calm her down. The fight ended within seconds, most likely with Noriko's mother leaving her daughter alone.

Cody hung his head a little. "This is bad. That spore is growing fast."

"You're right about that." Armadillomon agreed. "She could break glass with that scream. If she's giving me a headache, imagine how her mama feels."

Wizardmon stared at the house, his eyes narrowed in thought. _Noriko….oh that's right! She's the girl who stepped up to protect me from Oikawa when she realized I was a Digimon. She was already a brave and smart girl, so it's no wonder the Dark Spore's growing so fast. But there's something else. The Dark Spore feeds off anything and everything negative about a person; it thrived in Ken because of his grief and jealousy with his brother. So what's Noriko's story?_

"Excellent."

Cody, Armadillomon, and Wizardmon turned to see Oikawa coming down the path, walking casually as though the child and Digimon before him were simply passersby on the street. Armadillomon dug his claws into the pavement, growling a little. Cody dropped his bag and held his still-wrapped shinai in front of him, ready to fight. Wizardmon readied his staff, glaring murderously at Oikawa.

"She's progressing very nicely, and there's nothing you can do about it." Oikawa said. "So just go home."

"No way!" Cody snapped. "I'm not moving!"

"Don't you know that people who don't move never get ahead in life?" Oikawa teased. "What's the matter? You afraid to improve your mind? Come on, why be merely ordinary?"

"Being ordinary is better than being a freak like you!" Wizardmon snapped.

"It's also better than being controlled by someone like you!" Cody added.

"Nobody is being controlled." Oikawa defended simply. "They all asked for it. All I did is grant their wishes. Perhaps you're just jealous that they'll become more powerful than you. If you happen to change your mind, let me know. In the meantime, don't attempt to interfere. They've made their choice and it's too late to turn back."

Wizardmon clenched his staff tightly in his hands. "You pathetic little cretin."

"How could they make a choice?!" Cody yelled in anger. "You're lying! They've been brainwashed! You made them all a bunch of false promises. You say they're going to become superior beings, but you don't even know what that means! A superior being is someone who helps and cares about others!"

_I've never seen Cody so mad. _Armadillomon thought. _But he brings up some excellent points._

Suddenly, Oikawa wasn't focusing on the boy but rather the bag beside Cody. "The name on that bag….." He murmured, and then gasped. "It's says 'Hida'!" The child and Digimon before him stood their ground, but Oikawa hardly paid any attention to them. "Hiroki…."

Cody's muscles tensed, but his shinai lowered ever so slightly. "That was my dad's name. What's it to you?"

Wizardmon stared at Oikawa. _What's that? Why do I feel a new aura coming from Oikawa? It's different from the one I usually feel. It's gone now, but I know I felt something._

"I believe we have a problem!" Hawkmon's voice jolted Wizardmon from his thoughts, and he turned just enough to see Yolei and her Digimon approached. Looking back to Oikawa, he could see Arukenimon and Mummymon running up to join the confrontation.

"There goes our lunch break." Yolei groaned.

"We'll eliminate that little twit!" Mummymon assured as he and Arukenimon approached.

"Guess I'll have to eat later." Armadillomon huffed, preparing to fight.

"You won't feel like it when we're finished with you." Mummymon laughed.

Wizardmon opened his mouth to shout at the undead Digimon, but Oikawa beat him to the punch. "Get out of here!" He ordered, looking to his Digimon creations. Arukenimon and Mummymon recoiled a bit in surprise. "Don't just stand there like a couple of silly fools! I gave you an order!"

"He could've at least said 'please'." Mummymon muttered.

Oikawa glanced back, staring at Cody specifically. Cody glared back, but with not so much fierceness as before. Oikawa hurriedly ushered his Digimon away. "Go! Do as I say!"

Cody, Yolei, and the Digimon stared after Oikawa, Mummymon, and Arukenimon as they disappeared around the corner, very much confused as to what happened. One minute, Oikawa looked ready to kill them all, and then in a split second he just let them go.

"Cody, how do you know Oikawa?" Wizardmon asked the boy.

"I don't." Cody replied. "But it seems he knows my dad."

"Well if he knows your father and he knows you then you must know him!" Wizardmon snapped. "How do you know him?"

"I told you I don't know him at all!" Cody insisted. He yelped a little when Wizardmon suddenly grabbed him by the front of his coat and lifted the young boy up to his eye level.

"I'm serious, Cody! You can't hide something like this now spill!" Wizardmon snapped, glaring at the boy.

"But I swear I don't know anything!" Cody said, shaking a little at the almost deadly look in Wizardmon's eyes.

Wizardmon's grip tightened on Cody's coat. "Listen you little—"

"Hey Wizardmon!" Armadillomon called. "Stop it!"

The Majin blinked a few times, as though just now realizing what he was doing. He gently set Cody on the ground and released him. He glanced at his hand for a moment before clearing his throat nervously. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Cody assured.

"You think I could ask your father about Oikawa?" Wizardmon asked.

Cody looked down. "He's dead. He was a police officer and was protecting a government official when he was shot and killed."

Wizardmon looked down too. "Sorry to bring it up." He glanced up towards Noriko's bedroom window, staring at it until it became imprinted in his memory. "I'm going on a walk." He turned and departed before anyone could respond.

"Man, this is really putting him over the edge." Armadillomon said sadly.

"I guess being this close to Oikawa is putting him in a bad place." Hawkmon noted. "After all, if Oikawa really is the one that controls him, it must be hard to be this close to an old enemy again. Not to mention having to deal with that Angel spirit inside him."

Yolei sighed. "Why do so many bad things have to happen to Wizardmon and Rika? And even Sorcermon. They've been tortured physically and mentally for so long; in Sorcermon's case, all his life."

"I'm worried more about Wizardmon." Cody said. "In the time we've known him, I've never seen him act so angry. It's like Oikawa's evil is rubbing off on him. When he grabbed me, all I could see was hatred in his eyes. Then he seemed to come to his senses and realized what he was doing."

"Should we really let him go walking around on his own?" Hawkmon asked.

"I'm not going to be the one to bother him if he's so upset right now." Armadillomon said.

"Let's just focus on watching the kids." Yolei said. "Wizardmon can take care of himself, so we shouldn't worry."

Cody could tell by her tone that she tried to convince herself more than the rest of them. After all, all this talk that "Wizardmon can take care of himself" is what caused some of their problems. He stared in the direction Wizardmon walked off, feeling overwhelmed by everything happening to them.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for agreeing to this, Tai." Rika said gratefully, using her chopsticks to swirl her noodles around in its bowl.<p>

"No problem." Tai assured. "I needed a lunch break anyway, and it's kind of nice to get away from everything that's happening." He and Rika sat comfortably in a booth at a restaurant, taking a rest from watching the Dark Spore children. Tai looked up and noticed Rika picking at her food rather than eating it, not to mention some dark circles under her now-dull eyes. "Looks like you needed a break too. All this stress must really be getting to you."

Rika sighed softly. "Maybe a little. I'm really worried about Sorcermon. Elecmon said he should hatch by tonight, but with everything that's happening I'm worried that it might take longer."

"Give him time to rest." Tai encouraged. "This happened to Patamon once, remember? It took a day or two, but he came back."

"We don't have a day or two to wait." Rika said. "We'll need him for DNA Digivolving, especially if we end up fighting again."

"Rika, we can't be freaking out right now." Tai said, trying to calm her down. "Things _will _work out. We need to stay hopeful."

Rika sighed again, leaning back in her chair and staring at her food. "I guess I'm just worried, that's all. Not only is Sorcermon out of commission, but Wizardmon's really acting strange. He's become so angry all the time; always snapping at me and losing his temper at the smallest things. He's never acted this way before, especially not to me. I want to think that maybe the stress is making him worry like me, but what if it's just part of his nature? Maybe this is a whole new side to my Digimon that I never noticed before."

"I doubt that." Tai said. "We all have our moments when we act someway that's not in our nature, but it's never truly a part of us."

"What if it _is _a part of him?" Rika asked. "It's going to get him into serious trouble, especially since it seems to spike when he's around Oikawa." She slumped down in her seat. "What if I lose him?"

Tai stared at Rika, unsure what to do or say to help. He stood from his spot and moved over to sit beside Rika, wrapping her in a comforting side hug. "Please don't give up, Rika. I know things seem bad, but things will get better. I promise."

Rika leaned into the hug, fighting her tears. _I hate that I suddenly can't control my emotions. Why can't things just work out for once? Why is all this bad stuff happening to me? To all of us? _"Thanks Tai…."

"I'm here for you." Tai said with a smile. "You're like my second sister now. Don't ever forget that; no matter what happens, I'm going to be there for you."

* * *

><p>Oikawa found himself in shock as he wandered around town, his subconscious taking him to the pathway he used to walk with Hiroki over the years they spent together. <em>I knew Hiroki got married. I suppose it was only a matter of time before he had a child. Cody…..that's a rather nice name. <em>But the happy memories melted away into anger, and Oikawa ran off to seek solace. Unfortunately, his feet led him straight to the cemetery where the Hida Family grave was located. Strangely, despite the anger he felt, it offered some comfort. He stopped in front of the Hida grave and opened his laptop, browsing through the files he saved from creating Arukenimon and Mummymon.

Unbeknownst to him, Rika had a similar idea. After eating lunch with Tai, she spent the rest of the afternoon with Sorcermon's egg, waiting for it to hatch. Several hours later, Kari suggested she go on a walk to clear her head. Rika's feet led her straight to the same cemetery Oikawa stood in, stopping at a grave a couple rows behind the man. She sat down in front of her family grave, curled in a ball and resting her chin on her knees. She arrived at the cemetery long before Oikawa did, but luckily she remained hidden behind the stone graves.

Rika stared at the stone, reading the name on it over and over again. _Yamada. Yamada. Yamada. _She lifted her head a bit and sighed quietly. She whispered to the grave, as though expecting a response. "Mom. Dad. Obāsan. Ojīsan. I'm trying to be a big, strong girl like you taught me. I'm doing what I can to be a great DigiDestined. But I don't know how long I can keep doing this. I lost Sorcermon, and Wizardmon might leave me next. I feel so lost. I don't know what to do." She sniffed, blinking furiously to keep her tears at bay. "I'm so scared and I need help. Please. Please help me." But no matter how much she pleaded under her breath, not a single answer came.

Oikawa looked back and forth from the Hida grave to his laptop. Even now, he found it a little hard to believe that the little, digital cartoon spider on his screen became the drider woman who served him today.

"If there was only some way I could show you the virtual beings I created." Oikawa told Hiroki's grave. "You'd understand what I'm about to accomplish. I made digital copies of my own DNA. The copies were computer generated into solid images of my own genetic essence."

As he stared at the cartoon spider, Arukenimon's voice suddenly echoed in his head. _"Well, you'll never win a beauty contest."_

"_But after all, it's what's inside that counts." _Mummymon's voice added. _"And that's not much."_

"What are you trying to tell me?" Oikawa demanded, not realizing the voices were only in his head.

"_You're horrid and empty, so get over it." _Arukenimon's and Mummymon's voices said.

"You're baiting me, now stop it!" Oikawa ordered.

"_What's the matter?" _Arukenimon's voice teased. _"Afraid to face the truth?"_

"_We represent the essence of your ugliness." _Mummymon's voice said.

"_We're living you're nightmare!" _the voices spoke at once.

Oikawa slammed his laptop shut. "Lies!"

"_You are just a foreign object." _BlackWarGreymon's voice spoke next.

Oikawa suddenly dropped his laptop, which thankfully landed on his bag, and he clutched his head in both hands. _"YOU'RE WRONG!"_

Rika gasped and jumped to her feet, staring at a man nearby as he fell to his knees. Concerned, she hurriedly ran around the other graves to approach him. She walked carefully from behind the man, not wanting to startle him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Oikawa growled, packing his things and slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Just get away from me."

Rika huffed. "Far be it for me to show some concern. You think _you're _having a bad day? My life's gone to hell."

Oikawa jumped to his feet and spun around. "Listen you—" He paused and gasped a little. "You!"

Rika gasped too. "Oikawa!"

The man glared. "What are you doing here?"

Rika held an almost emotionless gaze. "Same reason you're here, it would seem." Her eyes traveled to the grave Oikawa stood before. "'Hida'…that's Cody's family." She looked back to Oikawa. "How do you know Cody's family?"

Oikawa narrowed his eyes. "I knew his father, Hiroki. We were friends once."

_Seems a little hard to believe someone from Cody's family would be friends with Oikawa. If Hiroki's anything like Cody, then being friends with Oikawa wouldn't make much sense. But I guess he couldn't have always been evil. _"You must really miss him."

Oikawa huffed. "What do you care? And more importantly, why aren't you attacking me? I'm your enemy."

"Yeah." Rika sighed. "I have this bad habit of approaching and talking to my enemies on a non-threatening basis. I guess I always hold out this hope that they're not as evil as they seem. I've been through similar situations."

"What could you possible know about that?" Oikawa demanded.

"Though now the Guardian DigiDestined, I'm still the DigiDestined of Darkness." Rika pulled her tag and Crest from under her shirt collar. "For a long time, and even now, people believe I'm supposed to be mean and nasty because of my Crest. That was your goal is giving this to me, right? To allow me to embrace my supposed darkness. But I'm not evil. I look at you and I have to wonder if you're really evil or if you're a little misguided." She glanced at the Hida family grave, then back to Oikawa. "I'm starting to think it's misguided, not evil. What do you think?"

Oikawa didn't answer for a moment, staring at the raven-haired girl before him. His face was completely unreadable. "Your Crest…." He murmured. "Though you are not evil…..the darkness of your Crest….." A crazed look came to his eyes. "…..would make the perfect planting ground for the Dark Spore."

Rika glared a little. "Easy there, Crazy Eye. I don't want to give up on you yet, but you better watch what you say and do."

Oikawa chuckled darkly, slowly stepping towards Rika. "You have much darkness inside you. Suffered so much. Even if you are not corrupted and even if you _do _have the Guardian Crest, the darkness of your Crest alone should help the Dark Spore grow much faster. I'll be able to accomplish my dream even sooner."

"I don't think so." Rika turned on her heel and suddenly took off, away from the cemetery and down the street. Oikawa gave a chase, sprinting after her. Within a few minutes, Arukenimon and Mummymon appeared beside their creator and master.

"Need some help destroying her?" Arukenimon asked hopefully.

"Capture her alive." Oikawa ordered. "We can plant the Dark Spore in her. You never know; she could be good leverage for us against those pathetic DigiDestined."

"Whatever you need, we got!" Mummymon assured, morphing to his Digimon form. "I'll take care of this brat! _Snake Bandage!" _He threw several lengths of linen, straight towards Rika. The raven-haired girl suddenly stopped and leaped into the air, back flipping and slicing through the linen with her sword. She landed perfectly on her feet, twirling her blade.

"I'm sorry, but I think you're forgetting who I am." Rika growled. "I'm the Guardian DigiDestined of Darkness. I was born in the Real World but raised in the Digital World. Even without my Digimon by my side, I will still beat you!" She charged for her opponents. "I'm gonna make you pay for the pain you've caused us!"

"Not so fast!" Arukenimon morphed to her Digimon form as well. _"Acid Mist!" _She shot the green gas towards Rika, who jumped up to avoid it. Rika did a flawless front flip and brought her heel down in a perfect hammer kick that forced Arukenimon to the ground. Mummymon lunged, but Rika planted her foot in his stomach and knocked the wind out of him. Then she turned to Oikawa. _You're the reason my Digimon are in pain. You won't hurt them again! _She shouted in effort and shot straight for the man, raising her sword with the express intent of putting it through Oikawa. But he hardly moved as Rika came towards him, and suddenly she felt something wrap around her stomach and yank her out of the air, slamming her into the ground. Rika's sword skidded away and she struggled fiercely as Mummymon's Snake Bandages wrapped around her.

"You are such a foolish girl." Oikawa sighed. He looked to Arukenimon. "Is the car, or rather what's left of it, parked nearby?"

"Of course." Arukenimon nodded, reverting to her human form.

"Then let's go." Oikawa ordered, following the spider woman as she led them all to the car. Mummymon threw the bound Rika over his shoulder and joined them.

Rika squirmed and fought to break free, to no avail. Then she looked up and noticed four familiar figures walking down the road far off from them. "Tai! Tai, help me!"

Tai, Sora, Izzy, and Agumon walked down the road with the intent of returning home after watching the Dark Spore children. But at the sound of the shout, they paused and turned to search for the source. Their eyes widened at the sight of Rika, bound and being carried away by Mummymon.

"Rika!" Tai shouted as they ran towards the raven-haired girl. "Rika! Hang on!"

"Let's go!" Oikawa ordered, spurring him and his two Digmon into running the rest of the way.

Sora managed to scoop up Rika's sword as they kept running. "Rika! Hang on, we'll save you!"

Oikawa, Arukenimon, and Mummymon rounded the corner and finally reached the car, its exterior still dented from the battle and missing its back hatch door. Oikawa and Arukenimon jumped in the driver and shotgun seats while Mummymon hopped in back, still holding Rika tightly.

"Tai!" Rika shouted. "Please help me!"

"Rika!" Tai shouted, putting on an extra burst of speed. "I'm coming!"

"Tai!" Rika screamed as Arukenimon started the car and slammed on the gas. The car peeled away and down the street, leaving the three kids and Agumon in the dust.

Tai continued to run after the car until it disappeared from view. He slowed to a stop, breathing heavily. "Rika….."

* * *

><p>Noriko sat on her bed, reading contently, when someone knocked on her door. Her mother opened it a few seconds later. "Hello dear. I just wanted to say 'goodnight.' I'm going to bed now."<p>

"Great." Noriko huffed. "Goodnight. Now go away." Noriko's mother sighed, but obeyed and shut the door, walking off to bed. Noriko sighed in exasperation. _Stupid, inferior being. _She slammed her book shut and set it on her nightstand, moving to her dresser to change into her pajamas.

_Tap tap tap_

Noriko paused and turned to her window, carefully walking over and pulling back the blinds. Her eyes widened and she smiled. "It's you!" She hurriedly pulled the window open, allowing Wizardmon to crouch on the windowsill. "You found me."

"I've been with the DigiDestined, watching over you and the other kidnapped children." Wizardmon explained. "We've all been concerned, Noriko."

"You remembered my name!" Noriko cheered. "And you're Wizardmon, right?"

"That's right." Wizardmon nodded.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Noriko asked. "Not that I mind; it's good to see you again."

"I'm here to take you on a trip." Wizardmon replied simply. "A night out on the town. What do you say?"

Noriko paused. "If you're with those other kids, are you gonna tell me this Dark Spore is a bad idea?"

Wizardmon didn't answer for a moment. He extended a gloved hand towards Noriko. "Take my hand if you trust me."

Noriko stared at the gloved hand for a moment before smiling and taking it. Wizardmon pulled her up and wrapped an arm around her waist, keeping her close as he turned and shot off, up into the air. Noriko wrapped her arms around the Majin, gasping softly.

"Don't be afraid." Wizardmon reassured.

"I'm not." Noriko said, despite her tight grip on the Majin's vest.

"If you want me to slow down, let me know." Wizardmon offered.

"Are you kidding?" Noriko laughed. "This is amazing!"

Wizardmon allowed a small smile to appear under his cowl as he flew higher into the air, still keeping a tight grip on Noriko. The girl's eyes shined as she stared at the city lights below her. Her grip loosened a bit, but she still held on in fear of falling. Wizardmon flew high up into the air before flipping and diving straight to the ground. Noriko gasped, squeezing her eyes shut. Wizardmon chuckled a little, stopping suddenly right before they could hit a skyscraper. Noriko shook a little, her hair standing up a bit.

"Sorry about that." Wizardmon said sincerely.

Noriko gulped a little, but smiled. "That was amazing! Just surprising."

"You're really not afraid, huh?" Wizardmon asked.

"Not by a long shot." Noriko nodded. "Let's do it again!"

Wizardmon chuckled again, but did as she said. _I was right. _He thought as he glanced at Noriko. _She's different from the other Dark Spore children. She's…stronger…_

* * *

><p>After some time spent walking around town and more flying, Wizardmon and Noriko decided to rest with some dinner at the top of Tokyo Tower. They sat on a platform close to the very top of the tower, usually meant for maintenance workers, out of sight from anyone else while they ate.<p>

Noriko sighed in content. "This was really fun. Thank you, Wizardmon."

"It was fun for me too." Wizardmon admitted. "I really needed this."

"So, you're really not here just to talk about that Dark Spore?" Noriko asked.

Wizardmon paused, looking to Noriko. He set his food down and stared at the city lights below. "Do you have any idea what that spore is doing?"

"Yes, of course." Noriko said matter-of-factly. "It's making me stronger, better than how I would be if I didn't have it. I'm going to rise above the crowd with this Dark Spore."

"You already seem like such a smart young girl." Wizardmon noted. "I don't see why you would need or want the Dark Spore. If you wanted to become better or smarter, you could learn."

"I can do things on my own." Noriko said. "Besides, the things I learn in school or from sports come easy to me, and anything beyond that I can learn by myself."

Wizardmon didn't answer for a moment. "I bet I could teach you something you wouldn't be able to learn on your own."

Noriko huffed. "Yeah right."

"Do you know what a Life Flame is?"

Noriko paused, and she realized she actually _didn't _know what that was. But she frowned stubbornly. "Whatever it is, it can't be that important."

Wizardmon suddenly laughed outright. "You couldn't be more wrong. May I show you?"

"Show me what?" Noriko asked, albeit suspiciously.

"Just trust me." Wizardmon held out his hand. "Take my hand and close your eyes. Clear your mind and I'll take care of the rest."

Noriko wouldn't admit that she felt nervous, but at the same time she somehow knew she could trust the Majin. So she did as she was told and waited to see what would happen. She felt Wizardmon tap her shoulder and she opened her eyes to see the two of them floating in an empty, dark space. "Where are we?"

"Inside you, so to speak." Wizardmon said. "I'm going to show you what a Life Flame is by showing you yours and mine."

"How?" Noriko asked.

Wizardmon lifted a hand to his chest and, to Noriko's shock, pushed through his clothes and skin and pulled out a ball of fire blue in color. "This is my Life Flame. It's almost like a soul. No creature can live without one. You have one too." He lifted his free hand towards Noriko. "May I?" Noriko blinked, but nodded. Wizardmon pushed his hand through her chest and pulled out her Life Flame. Noriko jumped a little, but took the flame from Wizardmon so it floated in her palms. She stared at the ball of fire, noting its bright red color and what looked like thorny vines wrapped around its core.

"So the Life Flame is what helps us live?" Noriko asked.

Wizardmon nodded. "It's a flame extinguished only by death. It powers our auras, and the strength of those auras can change based on many factors about ourselves, such as strength or sickness." He gestured to Noriko's flame. "You have a very strong Life Flame, but the strength changes now and then."

"So what's that vine thing wrapped around it?" Noriko asked.

"That's the Dark Spore." Wizardmon said. "It has become a part of you."

Noriko stared at the flame for a moment. She hesitantly pushed it back into her chest, and Wizardmon did the same with his. When Noriko blinked, she found they sat back on the platform at Tokyo Tower. She touched her chest, where Wizardmon was able to pull that flame from her. She was quiet for a long moment, and Wizardmon couldn't find the right words to start the conversation again. But one question burned in his mind.

"Noriko, why do you want the Dark Spore?" the Majin asked.

Noriko looked to Wizardmon and saw only pure curiosity, nothing more nothing less. "My mother told me that when I was a baby, I was in and out of the hospital for months because I kept getting sick. I get colds easier than most kids; the winter months are hard for me. I've gotten pneumonia a few times. It always makes my mother worried whenever I get sick, and unfortunately it happens far too often. I had a cold when I got the Dark Spore, and by the next day I felt better. With this Dark Spore, I can get stronger and I won't get sick so much anymore. It's the best thing that's ever happened to me." She looked down. "Please don't make me get rid of the Spore. It's helped me so much."

Wizardmon stared at Noriko, then put a hand on her shoulder. "Noriko, I like to believe you really did choose to accept the Spore on your own free will."

"I _did._" Noriko insisted.

"That's good." Wizardmon assured, much to Noriko's surprise. "As I said, you seem like a smart kid. No way would someone be able to control you so easily. Everyone has the right to choose for themselves; we're living creatures with free will. At least, you are. I cannot choose for myself…..but you can. So I'm going to let you decide for yourself on whether or not you go along with this."

"Really?" Noriko asked happily.

"Yes." Wizardmon nodded. "You chose to accept the Dark Spore. You make your own decisions on what you use your new abilities for."

Noriko smiled warmly, forgetting her concern about Wizardmon's comment about not choosing for himself. After the two of them finished dinner, Wizardmon flew the girl back to her home. No light shone from the house, so Wizardmon landed at the window and climbed into Noriko's room. He gently set the girl on the floor.

"Tonight was great!" Noriko whispered happily, careful not to wake anyone. She suddenly hugged Wizardmon, still smiling broadly. "Thank you, Wizardmon."

Wizardmon hesitated, but slowly returned the hug. "I'm happy you enjoyed yourself."

"Will you come by tomorrow and hang out with me?" Noriko requested.

Wizardmon thought for a moment. "Sure. Why not?"

Noriko giggled happily, hugging the Majin tighter. _Yeesh! _Wizardmon bit back his groan. _She's stronger than she looks! _Noriko finally released the Majin and stepped back, yawning. "Thanks again, Wizardmon."

"You're very welcome." Wizardmon nodded, moving to the window and jumping up to the windowsill. "Goodnight Noriko." He pushed off the ledge and flew up into the sky, returning home.

Noriko hurried to the window and waved after the Digimon. "Goodnight Wizardmon!"

* * *

><p>12月30日<p>

Ken tried to not get too close to Noriko, ducking behind every corner and street lamp she passed. But he was desperate to not lose her. Wormmon, resting in his trainer's arms, could sense the boy's slight distress. But there was some comfort: ever since they started following her, Wizardmon walked alongside Noriko. _Maybe he can help us talk some sense into her. _Wormmon thought. _Then again, Wizardmon not being with Rika makes me a little nervous. Where _is _Rika anyway?_

Noriko and Wizardmon disappeared through the gates to a temple, and Ken jogged to keep up with them. But when he rounded the corner he saw the human girl and Majin Digimon standing in the gateway and staring down at him. Noriko looked quite irritated; Wizardmon, well he had that permanent scowl look in his eyes, per the usual, but Ken could sense some slight anger within him as well.

"You're Ken Ichijōji, aren't you?" Noriko asked. "What do you want? Don't you know that spying is rude?"

"I'm sorry I followed you." Ken said sincerely. "Just hear me out. There's something you need to know about before it's too late."

"Something I need to know?" Noriko scoffed. "Aw please! Why should I care what you have to say? Now that you're an ordinary kid again, you're just an insect to me. You gave it all up, the brains, the power, and for what? So people would like you?"

"No, so I would like myself." Ken replied, stepping closer to the girl. "Power gave me nothing but loneliness. You have to believe me, Noriko. This isn't the answer."

"I suppose you're going to tell me that the answer is having friends and parents who love you, right?" Noriko guessed in a snarky tone. "Give me a break. That's just sad. I bet you don't even believe what you're saying. I'm sure not buying it."

_This is going to be harder than I thought. _Ken thought. _But I have to keep trying. I can't let her suffer like I did._

Noriko turned and continued walking into the temple grounds. "I'm out of here. So do me a favor and bug off, Insect Boy. Come on, Wizardmon, let's go."

Ken moved to keep following, but Wizardmon held up a hand to stop him before turning to keep up with Noriko. _What is he doing? _Ken wondered. _What exactly is he trying to accomplish by hanging around her? Is Rika supposed to be nearby or something?_

"Yo Ken!" Davis called as he, Cody, and their Digimon jogged up. He looked past his friend to Noriko. "Hey, what's with her?"

"Don't ask." Ken sighed.

Noriko and Wizardmon kept walking, the former glaring at nothing in particular. Then, she gasped in pain and stopped. Wizardmon paused as well, staring at Noriko. The girl yanked off her scarf as though it choked her, tossing it to the ground. Wizardmon noticed a spot on her neck begin to glow, where Oikawa implanted the Dark Spore.

"Boy, you must've really made her mad!" Davis gulped a little.

"I'll say." Veemon agreed.

Suddenly, Noriko's hair stood up and a red glow surrounded her head. She clutched her skull and let out a piercing scream. "Oh no! My head! What's happening?"

"Noriko!" Wizardmon gasped as the red glow surrounded the girl's entire body. Something popped up in her hair: a small, dark pink bud of a flower.

"The spore is sprouting!" Wormmon realized.

"This can't be good." Ken groaned. The boys watched, shocked, as the red glow died and the bud replaced by a strange flower that seemed to grow right out of her head. Noriko stood very still, her eyes empty of emotion and looking very trance-like.

"Noriko?" Wizardmon asked, reaching towards the girl. A blast shot out and connected with Wizardmon's chest, sending him flying backwards and slamming into a tree. A cruel laugh rang out in the freezing air.

"Oikawa!" Cody gasped.

"And Arukenimon and Mummymon." Davis growled as said Digimon approached as well, standing between the DigiDestined and Noriko.

"What do they want?" Ken growled.

"You get three guesses, and they're all her!" Wormmon cried, he, Veemon, and Armadillomon standing ready to fight.

"No way." Ken said determinedly, taking out his D3.

"Right." Davis nodded.

"_Wormmon digivolve to…..Stingmon!"_

"_Veemon digivolve to…ExVeemon!"_

"_ExVeemon…Stingmon…..DNA Digivolve to…Paildramon!"_

Oikawa suddenly grabbed Noriko under one arm and took off running with her. "No!" Wizardmon shot forward, but Arukenimon's Spider Thread suddenly wrapped around his ankle and forced him to the ground. She dragged the Majin back and threw him to the DigiDestined, lunging towards Paildramon. The hybrid tossed the drider Digimon aside, jumping up to avoid Mummymon's blasts and sending several rounds of his own. Arukenimon jumped up from behind and forced Paildramon to the stony ground. Wizardmon tried running towards Noriko again, but Mummymon's blasts stopped him.

Cody looked past the battle to Oikawa. "Forget about the others! We've got to get that girl back!" He hurriedly pulled out his D3. _Time for Digmon!_

"_Armadillomon Armor Digivolve to…..Digmon, the Drill of Knowledge!"_

Digmon prepared to run in and help, but a length of Mummymon's Snake Bandage suddenly wrapped around his throat. "I think Digmon's fit to be tied!" the undead Digimon gloated.

"This ought to cool you off!" Arukenimon shot a liquefied version of her Acid Mist, and Digmon dedigivolved right back to Armadillomon. Paildramon, now even angrier, fired another round of his Desperado Blaster. Many of blasts came much too close to Oikawa and Noriko.

"Chill out, Paildramon!" Davis ordered. "You might hurt the girl!"

"Noriko, get away from him!" Ken called.

Noriko smiled almost sinisterly. "What makes you think I want to get away? I'm fine."

"Noriko, he's dangerous!" Wizardmon shouted. "Get over here!"

"You said I could make my own decisions on this, Wizardmon." Noriko reminded him. "This is the decision I've chosen."

"I said with the Dark Spore, not with that monster!" Wizardmon retorted.

"It's no use." Ken groaned. "She's still under his control."

Noriko turned to Oikawa, bowing a bit. "I'm ready." Oikawa smirked and raised a hand to the Dark Flower in Noriko's hair. A purple mist surrounded the flower, becoming absorbed into Oikawa himself.

"Hey big guy, can you eyeball what's happening?" Davis asked Paildramon.

Paildramon took as close a look he could from his position. "Uh oh. It looks like he's absorbing the flower."

"Let her go!" Cody ordered, glaring at Oikawa. "You can't steal her energy just to make yourself more powerful! You're just using her! It's not right!" He and Wizardmon ran towards the man, but Oikawa grabbed Cody and shoved him into the Majin, forcing them backwards and to the ground.

Oikawa turned his attention back to Noriko, resuming his task. "That's your opinion. She's doing this of her own free will."

"Yeah." Noriko said, sounding very tired. "Mind your own business. This is cool."

Before their eyes, the Dark Flower in Noriko's hair disappeared, and the purple glow surrounded Oikawa briefly before disappearing. Noriko slumped forward into Oikawa's arms, but the man suddenly pushed her towards the DigiDestined. "Here. Take her. I have no use for her now." Cody quickly caught Noriko, leading her to Ken and Davis and safely away from Oikawa. The man glared at the children and Digimon before him. "You would be better off improving your mind rather than wasting time with all this 'saving the world' nonsense. You see where it got your father!"

Only Cody, Armadillomon, and Wizardmon understood that Oikawa talked about Hiroki Hida. Cody turned and glared at Oikawa, fire burning in his eyes. "How dare you talk about my father like that? He'd never approve of what you've done! You don't deserve to call yourself his friend!" He suddenly ran forward until he stood only about ten feet from the man and his Digimon creations. Armadillomon and Wizardmon stood close beside him, ready to protect Cody if necessary.

"Oh my." Mummymon mocked. "I believe you've gone and upset the little fellow!"

Oikawa stared at Cody, a bit of softness coming to his gaze. _He's so much like his father. Especially when I look into his eyes. Hiroki was always on the side of justice. _His gaze hardened. _But those days are gone. _He growled a little, his body suddenly becoming enveloped in the same purple mist from before. Cody gasped softly in fear and took a step back, suddenly afraid of the man before him.

Wizardmon stepped in front of the young boy. "Cody, get back."

Oikawa chuckled darkly. "I'll never understand how you can be so protective. You do such a terrible job of guarding people you care for."

"What are you talking about?" Wizardmon demanded, gripping his staff tightly in both hands.

"Well, you could hardly protect Ichijōji in that van, not to mention these children. Do you think you could stand a chance against me?" Oikawa chuckled again. "You failed to protect the one person most important to you. You'll never see her again; and if you do, neither one of you will be the same."

Wizardmon's pupils and irises constricted, and before Cody or Armadillomon could stop him he lunged towards Oikawa with a furious shout. Arukenimon and Mummymon moved to protect their master, but Oikawa simply raised a hand and Wizardmon suddenly stopped. He shouted in pain, clutching his chest and falling to his knees. He shook a little, fighting the pain, and glared at Oikawa.

"Where is she?" Wizardmon had a snarl in his tone, emphasizing every word.

Oikawa chuckled darkly. He marched forward and grabbed the Majin by his hair, yanking him up to eye level and ignoring the DigiDestined's shouts to leave him alone. "What good are you to anyone?" Oikawa asked Wizardmon. "You can't protect your friends. You have no family whatsoever. You have nothing left to live for. So why are you still alive?"

Wizardmon glared, fighting to break free but the pain in his chest increasing greatly. Oikawa's voice felt like knives being sharpened on his brain.

"Well?" Oikawa asked mockingly. "Why _are _you still alive? What reason could you possibly have to live?" The Majin in his grasp struggled for only another moment before he went a little limp, squeezing his eyes shut. Oikawa scoffed. "Just as I thought. You pathetic, waste of good data."

"Let him go!" Cody ordered, running towards Oikawa.

"As you wish." Oikawa suddenly threw Wizardmon into Cody and sent them to the ground.

"Are you okay, Wizardmon?" Armadillomon asked. The Majin didn't answer, his eyes still shut as though in pain.

"You're all just so pathetic." Oikawa droned, the energy around him seeming to grow.

"Get ready guys!" Paildramon warned. "We're about to have a real fight on our hands!" The DigiDestined prepared to fight, Mummymon and Arukenimon mirroring their determined stares.

A loud roar broke through the air, and they all looked up to see a familiar, black-armored Digimon.

"BlackWarGreymon!" Paildramon breathed. Cody and Armadillomon jumped back, Cody pulling Wizardmon along with them.

"Oikawa, you must be stopped! _Terra Destroyer!" _BlackWarGreymon threw the mighty blast, sending Mummymon and Arukenimon flying to one side and forcing them to scurry away in fear. BlackWarGreymon's gaze locked onto Oikawa. "And now it's your turn."

"Looks like I'm just in time." WarGreymon noted as he landed beside Paildramon. Tai arrived soon after, standing beside Ken and Davis.

BlackWarGreymon glared at Oikawa. "Where is Child? What have you done with her?"

"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about." Oikawa said nonchalantly.

"You know _exactly _what I'm talking about!" BlackWarGreymon shouted. "Release her or I'll make you suffer!"

"What's he talking about?" Davis asked.

"Mostly likely, Rika." Tai said ruefully. "Oikawa kidnapped her last night. WarGreymon and I have been searching for her all morning without luck."

Wizardmon's fists clenched, shaking a little. "Rika…..no…"

_This is bad. _WarGreymon thought. _If BlackWarGreymon cares enough about Rika, he might end up attacking Oikawa. And based on how much energy radiating off that purple cloud, this could get ugly. _"BlackWarGreymon, this is dangerous!" WarGreymon warned. "What do you think you're doing?"

"There's a dark influence permeating that cloud and I need to find out what it is." BlackWarGreymon replied. He stepped closer to Oikawa. "Oikawa. We have unfinished business."

"Have you come back to face the truth?" Oikawa taunted, showing not even a hint of fear. "Perfect. I can make use of the energy from the Control Spires that created your image."

"You're only a human." BlackWarGreymon warned. "My power far surpasses you. You'd be signing your own death warrant!"

"Stop flattering yourself." Oikawa scoffed. "You're simply an electronic being."

BlackWarGreymon's gaze never faltered. "Did you create your two flunkies because you're afraid to be alone?" The noticeable change in Oikawa's expression gave BlackWarGreymon enough of an answer. The man glared and growled at the Digimon. "What's the matter?" BlackWarGreymon taunted. "Cat got your tongue?"

"That's absurd!" Oikawa snapped, the energy around him pulsing and increasing in strength. "Do you really think I'm that foolish? I could obliterate you in a heartbeat! Don't forget that!"

"I don't think they like each other." Ken said worriedly, holding Noriko in his arms. "This could get ugly."

"I can't believe he was friends with Cody's dad." Davis breathed. "That guy's got some major issues to work out."

Cody's eyes remained locked on the confrontation between BlackWarGreymon and Oikawa. The longer it dragged out, the more nervous he felt. At the same time, he couldn't stop worrying about Wizardmon, who only stood there and stared at the ground. "Cody!" Yolei's voice brought his attention away from the fight as she, T.K., Kari, and their Digimon hurried to the scene.

"My word!" Hawkmon groaned. "This is getting extremely complicated."

T.K. hurried to Cody's side with the intention of a possible DNA Digivolution, but his attention focused on the current confrontation. "Hey, what's BlackWarGreymon doing back here? And what's with the purple cloud?"

"Don't know." Cody admitted. The DigiDestined stood a safe distance away, but close enough to jump into battle if necessary. At the moment, however, none of them could find the will nor the courage to venture any closer.

"Do you think that power is going to bring you happiness?" BlackWarGreymon asked Oikawa. "If you do, then you're living in a dream. Power isn't going to help you escape the loneliness you feel because you don't have any friends. It just makes it worse. Take it from me; the more powerful you get, the more alone you become."

Oikawa's anger grew with every sentence. He suddenly clutched his skull, groaning and shouting in anger and maybe a little pain.

"Can't take the truth, can you?" BlackWarGreymon spoke with a slight taunt and a little pity. The DigiDestined felt more and more anxious, unsure whether to run away, join the argument, or just stand there.

Before anyone could do anything else, a new face joined the gathering.

"I came as fast as I could!" Chikara Hida called as he jogged up, stopping near BlackWarGreymon.

"Grandpa!" Cody gasped, shocked by the sudden appearance.

"I'm sorry to get here so late, my boy." Chikara said. He turned to Oikawa. "It's been a long time. But I remember you were a good friend of Hiroki. You never had many friends, and I always thought you were a bit of an odd one, but I never imagined you'd go completely mad!"

_I really don't think this is helping. _Cody gulped a little. BlackWarGreymon watched the two human men talk, an emotionless gaze in his eyes.

Oikawa turned to Chikara, glaring at this newcomer who seemed to insult him. "Who are you?"

Chikara's gaze remained firm, but his voice softened a bit. "Want to know how I know you so well, Yukio? You see, I'm Cody's grandfather and Hiroki's father."

"His father?" Oikawa's voice came a little strained, and he suddenly became forced to remember those days with his old friend.

"You two spent hours together, playing games and making up outrageous stories." Chikara began, remembering those days of his son's youth. "You actually believed the characters were real. You were so lost in this world, I thought your minds would rot. Pretty soon, I had to put my foot down and bring an end to it. You both took it very hard. I still remember the sad looks on your faces. You were miserable. Things never changed as you grew up. You still spent long periods of time dreaming about that strange other world of yours. You never let anyone else share in your thoughts because if you did, you were afraid they would take them away. Then one day it happened. Hiroki was….gone forever." Even now, the elderly man's heart ached to think about that day…..they day his son was stolen from him. But he remained focused on Oikawa. "You were beside yourself with grief. You became a lost and lonely soul. It wasn't normal. But then, Hiroki had been your only friend. I wish I could've seen it coming. I would've tried to make it easier for you. I've never seen anyone so sad in my life. I have to say…..it was a very difficult thing to watch. You may not be interested in hearing this, but I'd like to be your friend. It would be nice to talk to someone about my son. Do you think that would be all right?"

During this time, Oikawa only glared back and forth from the ground to Chikara. But at that final request, his gaze suddenly softened and his eyes gained a new light. "You must miss him even more than I do."

Wizardmon tensed a little. _There it is again. That different aura I felt yesterday. What could it be? _He turned to face Oikawa, and it clicked. _Of course. All this time, I was sensing Myotismon's aura within Oikawa because Myotismon's aura was always the stronger, dominating one. But this new aura I feel is so…..dry….yet hopeful…..this is the aura of Oikawa._

Oikawa stepped towards Chikara…but suddenly clutched his head and let out a scream as though in pain. Wizardmon mimicked the action, falling to his knees.

"Wizardmon!" T.K. cried, kneeling down beside the Majin. "What's wrong?"

"Get away from me you worthless little cretin!" Wizardmon hissed.

T.K. recoiled in shock. _He's never spoken like that before. _He looked to Oikawa. _It's because of Oikawa! _

Oikawa finally stopped screaming, his eyes turning a pale, heated red. He glared murderously at Chikara. The purple energy around him grew in strength. "Get away from there, Grandpa!" Cody cried.

"He's not looking too neighborly to me." Armadillomon gulped.

Suddenly, Oikawa thrust his palms forward and sent a powerful blast towards Chikara. The elderly human only stood there, shocked by what was happening. In a flash, BlackWarGreymon jumped between Chikara and the deadly blow, shouting in pain as the blast met its mark. Chikara jumped back to his grandson and his friends, all of them staring with wide eyes at the action.

"BlackWarGreymon!" WarGreymon and Paildramon shouted.

"Wow, did you see that?" Cody gasped. "He protected Grandpa!"

BlackWarGreymon struggled to stay standing, glaring at Oikawa. As he did, however, he noticed the shadow of a familiar figure briefly appear and then disappear in the same amount of time. A cruel laugh echoed in his head. BlackWarGreymon fell to his knees. "Oh no." he groaned in pain. "You! It can't be. No!" Pain erupted within him, forcing him to his hands and knees.

"There must be something more to this than we can see!" T.K. realized. The only question: what?

"How could I have been so blind?" BlackWarGreymon cursed himself. "I should have known!"

The purple glow around Oikawa died to nothing and his eyes reverted to normal. "You're perfectly right about being alone. We're both doomed to remain this way forever. There isn't any other choice." He turned his back to the wounded Mega.

"He's controlling you!" BlackWarGreymon groaned at the realization and from the immense pain. "This changes everything."

"You're very perceptive for someone so narrow-minded." Oikawa sneered. "I have to harvest all the Dark Spores in order for me to fulfill my deepest desire. I've always wanted to go to the Digital World." He laughed cruelly as he took off, disappearing around the corner. The DigiDestined didn't bother giving a chase, too concerned over BlackWarGreymon.

The black-armored Mega shakily rose to his feet. "He must not be allowed into the Digital World ever again!"

WarGreymon hurried to his darker twin's side, supporting the wounded Digimon. "What do you mean 'again'?"

"You all right, big guy?" Davis asked worriedly.

"My body's not going to last much longer." BlackWarGreymon's voice became weaker. "The image created by the Control Spires will soon start to break up. But there's still something I have to do."

"Save your strength." Paildramon pleaded.

"No." BlackWarGreymon said determinedly. "My strength is my final gift to you, my friends. I will seal the Highton View Terrace gate with my own body." He pushed himself to walk forward, preparing to take off.

"Don't do it!" WarGreymon begged.

"I must!" BlackWarGreymon pushed off the ground and flew off into the sky. "Please. Save Child for me!" He gave a shout of effort, and then BlackWarGreymon turned to particles of data that disappeared into the sky. Seconds later, a rainbow appeared over the city.

"He always wanted to do something meaningful with his life." T.K. said sadly.

"I'd say this definitely qualifies." Cody nodded.

"BlackWarGreymon." WarGreymon groaned in mourning. His fists clenched in anger as the memories of friends he lost before came flooding back. "BlackWarGreymon! _BlackWarGreymon!_"

The DigiDestined stared sadly after their friend. Kari was the first to speak. "He said 'save Child for me'. Does he mean Rika?"

"Yes." Tai nodded. "Oikawa kidnapped her last night."

Everyone looked to Wizardmon and Yolei stepped up to him. She knelt down and reached out to place a hand on his back. "Wizardmon?"

The Majin slapped her hand away, standing quickly. "Don't touch me!"

"Wizardmon, please don't push us away." Gatomon pleaded, bounding over to her friend. "Please." She reached out to touch him but he turned from her.

"No!" Wizardmon shouted. "Just leave me alone!" He took off into the sky, leaving them all in the dust.

"Well now what?" Ken groaned. "This really isn't our day."

"Do we go find Rika or go after Wizardmon?" Davis asked. "Or maybe we just need to keep watching those kids."

"No." Tai said firmly. "We need a new plan of action. If one Dark Spore has sprouted already the rest might not be far behind. Oikawa's going to make his move soon, and we're going to need the _entire _team to help. Some of us are going to keep watching the kids, but almost everyone is going to help find Rika and Wizardmon and bring them back." Everyone else mirrored Tai's look of determination and nodded. The wild-haired brunette looked to the sky.

_I'm going to find you, Rika. You'll be all right. Everything's going to be fine._


	46. Saving Me

**A/N: Fun fact: this chapter title was inspired by the song "Savin' Me" by Nickelback.**

* * *

><p><strong>Saving Me<strong>

Rika struggled against her bonds, ignoring the pain from the linen rubbing against her wrists._ One thing I have to give Mummymon credit for. _Rika thought as she kept struggling. _He certainly knows how to tie knots. _The girl currently lay in the corner of the dingy shack Oikawa used as a hideout, linen from Mummymon's Snake Bandage wrapped around her ankles, wrists, and chest. She didn't bother shouting for help; the shack was in too remote of an area. But she refused to give up, not willing to give Oikawa the victory of planting a Dark Spore within her. Her only stroke of luck so far was that last night Oikawa couldn't even find the scanner to put the Dark Spore in her, and he was far too tired to search for it. So Mummymon left her in the corner for the night. The next morning, Oikawa, Mummymon, and Arukenimon needed to hurry out the door to harvest an early blooming Dark Flower. Rika stayed in the shack ever since, desperately trying to escape.

She finally stopped struggling, her wrists burning from the constant rubbing. She shivered a little, looking up to realize her idiot captors left the window open. The winter air only made the ground she laid on colder and, despite wearing a coat, pants, and boots, Rika still shook. Oikawa and his two flunkies had yet to return, either still harvesting the flower, watching the other children, or fighting the DigiDestined. Or all three. No matter what the reason, they still didn't return. So Rika continued to freeze; she could feel her strength beginning to ebb away.

"Wizardmon…." She whispered, shivering violently. "Where are you?"

* * *

><p>"Here's our plan, guys." Tai told the DigiDestined, old and new. "Sora, Izzy, Matt, Davis, and Veemon are going to keep watching those kidnapped kids in case Oikawa approaches them. Kari and Gatomon are going to search for Wizardmon; they know him best and have the better chance of getting through to him. Joe, you're in charge of Sorcermon's egg. If it does anything weird, looks like it's about to hatch, or just if it does anything in general, send us all an email. It may be the one piece of incentive we have to bring Rika and Wizardmon back. The rest of us are going to spread out across the city and find Rika. If anyone sees Oikawa, Mummymon, or Arukenimon, you drop everything and follow them <em>immediately. <em>They'll most likely lead you right to Rika and maybe even Wizardmon. We have to be careful, guys. Those two are at their breaking points and if we're too aggressive it'll only push them farther away until they do something drastic. Don't engage in a fight if you can avoid it; our mission is finding our friends and bringing the team together again. Now let's do it!"

That was several hours ago. The kids and Digimon spread out all over the city in hopes of finding anything that would lead them to their friends. More than once, they spotted Oikawa, Mummymon, or Arukenimon and started to follow. But within seconds the one they pursued would disappear without a trace. So they kept up their searching. But even when they searched one area multiple times, they never found a single clue. The Digivices and D3s didn't react anywhere or give an indication Rika was nearby.

Kari and Gatomon ran through the Shinjuku district, their eyes darting all around for any sign of Wizardmon. But their fatigue soon forced them to stop and rest on a nearby bench, still scanning the area around them.

"Where would he go?" Gatomon panted a little. "Where _could_ he go?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Kari said, equally as tired. "You knew Wizardmon longer and better than any of us."

"I know, but I can think of lots of places he'd go!" Gatomon groaned.

"Okay, then let's try a different approach." Kari suggested. "If we were feeling how Wizardmon feels now, where would we go?"

Gatomon closed her eyes in thought. "I would go someplace that brought back good memories or just helped me think. Someplace a little out of the ordinary." She opened her eyes. "Like your terrace back home. I love going out there because it's where we first met." She gasped. "Highton View Terrace!"

"What?" Kari asked, confused.

"It was the first place Wizardmon and I went to when we came to the Real World with Myotismon." Gatomon reasoned. "Even now, it brings back memories of how I felt when we arrived. Everything was so different but wonderful. It was a whole new adventure for me." She jumped to the ground. "I have a feeling Wizardmon might be there for similar reasons."

"At this point, I'm willing to try anything." Kari nodded, the two of them running off to the train station.

* * *

><p>Rika heard the door to the shack open and looked up to see Oikawa, Mummymon, and Arukenimon entering. "Hey m-morons. Y-y-you left the w-window o-o-o-open."<p>

"Oh quit your whining." Arukenimon droned, slamming the window shut. Rika still shivered, almost all feeling gone from her fingers.

"It's time to put the final touches on my plans." Oikawa announced, moving to the desk and booting up his laptop. "Go find that scanner so I can put the Dark Spore in the girl."

"Where did you leave it?" Mummymon asked.

"If I knew that, would I ask you to go find it?" Oikawa droned. Mummymon, realizing his mistake, only chuckled sheepishly and started searching. Rika resumed her struggling, but the three villains ignored her. She started slow at first, but the movement began to warm her muscles and her struggle became more furious. "Would someone make her hold still?" Oikawa droned again.

"You heard him, Mummymon." Arukenimon ordered.

"Yes dearest." Mummymon sighed a little, moving over towards their struggling captive.

Rika felt her foot shift a little, and she pulled as discretely as she could until it came out of her boot. Mummymon knelt behind Rika and pulled her upright and into a sitting position, not even noticing she had a foot free. Rika glanced back briefly to see Mummymon in his Digimon form, and hardly wasted a second with her escape plan. She pulled her feet in and under her, pushing herself upwards. Mummymon gasped in surprise, just like she wanted, and the bonds around Rika's wrists caught onto the undead Digimon's shark-like teeth. They tore loose and Rika flipped over Mummymon's head to tumble to the ground. She stood up quickly, swaying a bit, and suddenly gasped in pain. She glanced down to her wrists, her eyes widening a bit to see them bleeding from cuts caused by Mummymon's teeth.

"Get her you fools!" Oikawa ordered, jumping up from his seat. Rika narrowed her eyes and put her arms up, pushing the linen around her chest to hang loosely around her neck. She darted around Oikawa lunging for her and ducked under Arukenimon's grab. She ran straight to the desk and jumped on it, pushing off and smashing right through the window. The girl yelped and cried out in pain as she hit the ground and tumbled down the small hill behind the shack. She struggled to push herself upright, yanking off the linen still on her foot and pulling her boot back on. She heard Oikawa shout again, and she looked up to see the man and his Digimon running down towards her. Rika scrambled to her feet and took off into the forest, stumbling a bit. Blood ran down her arms and hands from the cuts on her wrist, the precious liquid dripping down to the snow. The Guardian DigiDestined of Darkness darted through trees and leaped over bushes, desperate to escape her pursuers. After a few minutes, she managed to lose sight of them long enough to jump up and cling to a tree, scurrying up to the higher branches. She waited with baited breath until the three villains ran right past her, and then let out a soft sigh.

Rika jumped down to the ground, groaning as her knees buckled under her own body weight and forced her to lean against the tree for support. She stared at the blood on her hands, realizing Mummymon's teeth almost slit the veins in her wrists. Taking the linen hanging around her neck, Rika use her teeth to tear apart lengths of the bandages and dressed her wounds as best she could. Her hands long since went completely numb, making the task all the more difficult. When she finished, she shakily pulled out her D-terminal cell phone and fumbled with it to send an email.

"Tai." Rika whispered what she wrote. "No idea where I am. Running from Oikawa now. See if Izzy can track my Digivice or D-terminal. Hurry!" She pressed 'Send', but then groaned. "Send failed? No reception?! Aw come on!" She kept pressing the 'Send' button, but received the same response. "Come on, come on! Not now!"

"Gotcha!"

Rika involuntarily let out a scream as Oikawa grabbed her arm. Instinctively, she threw a punch straight to his jaw and forced him to let go. She resumed her running, desperate to get away. He tried to grab her again, but she slipped free and kept running. Unfortunately, in the brief struggle her phone dropped into the snow. Oikawa hardly paid attention to it as he chased the girl.

On the phone screen, a message read "Sending…." for several seconds before the phone beeped and the message changed to "Sent!"

* * *

><p>Tai paused as his D-terminal beeped and he hurriedly stopped to answer it. Izzy and Agumon, once running alongside him, skidded to a halt to join the brunette. "Who is it?" Agumon asked.<p>

"It's Rika!" Tai said happily. But his face contorted to a frown. "She says she has no idea where she is, but she managed to escape from Oikawa and she's running from him. She wants to know if you can track her D-terminal or Digivice, Izzy."

"We're clearly not in close enough range to track her Digivice." Izzy said. "As for her D-terminal…..."

"Please think, Izzy." Tai pleaded. "It's a cell phone, after all. It's not like the rest of ours."

"That's it! It's a cell phone!" Izzy gasped, pulling out his laptop. "I can trace the cell phone signal from Rika's D-terminal through the email!"

"Izzy, you're a genius!" Tai cheered.

"What else is new?" Izzy smirked. Tai forwarded the email to Izzy, who immediately typed away until he announced he finished. "She's in the forest near Mt. Fuji. Let's go!"

* * *

><p>Joe sat in Rika and Kari's bedroom, watching over Sorcermon's egg like he had all day. The egg currently sat in a pillow and blanket nest on the floor, with Joe sitting a few feet away. He brought a few books and his medical school notes with him to pass the time, but he spent most of the hours staring at Sorcermon's egg. A part of him wanted to be out there looking for Rika and Wizardmon, but he knew his job was definitely important. Still, it would be nice if Sorcermon's egg actually did something. He hated to just sit there, only to worry about what was happening to his friends.<p>

Sighing, Joe set his book down and scooted closer to Sorcermon's egg, gently lifting the precious item into his hands. "Hey Sorcermon." He spoke hesitantly, but cleared his throat and his voice filled with confidence. "Hey. Uh, I'm not sure how Digi-Eggs develop, but the human fetus can hear and understand sounds by 20 weeks into the gestation period." He chuckled nervously. "That might sound a little weird if you can actually hear me." His tone and look became more serious. "But I hope you _can _hear me. We're in trouble; Wizardmon's gone AWOL and Rika's been kidnapped. Everything's falling apart for them, and it's affecting us. You've always been the calmest member of the team. When everyone else was freaking out, you could keep your head and help us find the answer. You encouraged us and helped us find a way to solve our problems. You protected us; that's why the Crest of the Guardian chose you out of any other Digimon in the entire Digital World. It's what made you, Wizardmon, and Rika such a great team. They need you, Sorcermon. They need you now more than ever." Though normally not so emotional, Joe had to blink furiously to keep the tears at bay. He gently pressed his forehead to the egg. "Please, Sorcermon. Please help us."

Then, the egg began to glow with a bright white light. Joe jumped a bit, almost dropping the egg. At first, he feared the bright glow meant the egg was hatching. Then, the glow shot up and flew about the room like a comet. Joe watched the light fly about the room for a moment before gently setting Sorcermon's egg down and running to the window, pulling it open.

"Go Sorcermon!" Joe called. "Help us find them!"

The glow shot out the window and off into the sky, Joe quickly shutting the window after it to keep the cold out. He panted a little, returning to the Digi-Egg and lifting it up. He smiled, patting the egg and setting it back in its pillow/blanket nest.

"Thank you, Sorcermon." Joe whispered.

* * *

><p>"This is it." Gatomon confirmed. "This is the bridge I stood on when I first came to the Real World." She stared out at the scenery around her. "It still looks as beautiful as I remember."<p>

"Unfortunately, Wizardmon's nowhere in sight." Kari said. "But I get the feeling we're close."

Gatomon's ears perked up at a strange whizzing sound. She turned and gasped. "Kari! Duck!" The brunette knelt down and covered her head just as a ball of light shot past her. She and Gatomon looked up as the tiny white comet spun around their heads. Kari hesitantly stood up, watching the comet bounce around in the air like a hyperactive firefly.

"What is it?" Kari asked the comet. "Who are you?" The comet kept flying around for a moment before shooting into the ground. A trail of white light appeared, leading away from the girls and towards one of the apartment buildings.

"Should we follow it?" Gatomon asked.

"Yes." Kari nodded. "It may just be the only lead we'll get. Come on!" She and Gatomon took off, following the light trail. Every step they took, the trail disappeared behind them. The two of them hurriedly followed the trail as it led them into one of the buildings and up several flights of stairs to the roof. The trail ended a few feet in front of the door, and the girl and her cat slowly crept forward, opened the door, and peered out. They gasped softly at the sight of the figure already on the roof, the evening sun casting his shadow far across the concrete.

"Wizardmon." Gatomon breathed.

"Don't approach him too quickly." Kari whispered. "Remember what Tai said; we don't want him doing anything rash."

"So what do we do?" Gatomon whispered back. "I don't want to startle him. He might electrocute us."

"We'll just make ourselves known as we walk up to him." Kari reasoned. "Then we—"

"You know even if I can't hear you I can read your minds, right? Wizardmon called, not even turning around.

Kari and Gatomon paused, but stood up and walked towards Wizardmon until they stood several feet behind him. It was silent for many tense seconds that felt like years. Gatomon stared at her wizard friend, greatly fearing his actions. In all the time she knew him, the feline never expected the actions she witnessed the past couple days.

"Nice view up here." Kari said, breaking the silence. "Is that why you're here of all places? Good place to think?"

Wizardmon stayed silent for a moment. "Eight years ago, I found a portal that led to the Real World. It dumped me here, at Highton View Terrace, where I found a small girl who clung to me like a lifeline. When I returned to the Digital World, it took me decades to find her again."

It took a moment to realize Wizardmon's "small girl" was Rika, and another moment for Kari to realize it must've been around the same time Greymon and Parrotmon had their fight when she was a little girl.

"Wizardmon, everyone's searching for Rika now." Gatomon said. "We need your help to find her; you can track her aura or something, right?"

"No." Wizardmon said, surprising the girls.

"Wizardmon?" Kari asked worriedly, stepping closer to the Majin.

"I wish you hadn't found me." Wizardmon said. "You two especially shouldn't be here to see this."

"See what?" Gatomon asked, fear in her voice.

"I'm going to die today." Wizardmon spoke as though the statement left no impact.

"Don't talk like that." Kari pleaded, stepping closer until she stood right behind Wizardmon. "You're going to be fine. If someone's threatening you, we can help."

Wizardmon laughed lowly. "Someone's been threatening me for years. You can't help me now; you never could."

"That won't stop me from trying." Kari said determinedly.

"Just give it up, Kari." Wizardmon said. "It's not that bad, giving up. Look at me. I don't have a reason to live anymore, so what's the point in living?"

Kari's and Gatomon's eyes widened. "Are you saying…?" Gatomon couldn't even finish the question.

"I can't live like this anymore." Wizardmon said, not sounding upset or angry but rather very tired. "Always looking over my shoulder. Constantly afraid. Wondering if he'll kill me. Losing people I care about. I don't want to live this life, and the only way I can escape is to die. I've wanted to do it for a while now; just never got around to it, I suppose."

"Wizardmon, that's not the answer!" Kari cried, shocked by such words coming from her friend. "You've always protected us and never let anything happen to us. So I'm going to do the same for you! You're going to be okay!"

"You can't promise that." Wizardmon said, his tone laced with new anger.

"Watch me!" Kari snapped, grabbing his shoulder. "You always protected me so now I'm going to protect you!"

The Majin turned and slapped her hand away. He glared at Kari, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "Yeah? Well maybe I'm always protecting you because I'm hoping I'll be destroyed if I do! Maybe I keep putting my life on the line because I'm hoping I'll finally die! It's an endless repetition; I dive in to take the hits meant for you or the other DigiDestined because I hope the attack will be enough to finally destroy me. But something always stops it; something keeps me from dying. It could be my own strength or Sorcermon's healing abilities or just the plain stubbornness of all of you!" He looked down, eyeing the edge of the building nearby. "But now, I'm done. I can jump off here. I'll keep my eyes shut so I won't know when the ground is coming; I won't be able to save myself by flying. I'll go headfirst, and then I'll break my neck and at least it'll be quick. Nobody will miss me. If I'm gone, Rika will still have Sorcermon. I have no place in this world. I'm really worth nothing. So why—"

_BAM!_

Wizardmon shouted in pain, stumbling back a few feet. Gatomon's eyes had been wide the entire conversation, but now they were wide for an entirely different reason. Wizardmon clutched his mouth, where something hard connected with his face. He pulled down his cowl and pressed a hand to his mouth, willing the pain and throbbing to go away. When he pulled his hand away, blood soaked into the fabric of his glove. He looked up in shock.

Kari still stood in front of him, her fist still clenched from punching the Majin Digimon.

Wizardmon didn't know what was more shocking: the fact that Kari actually punched him or the fact that she didn't look fazed by the action. Kari _never _hits others, save for a slap now and then. She was such a peaceful spirit and she hated fighting. But she actually _punched _the Majin. And it _hurt _like hell.

"Shut up." Kari finally said, marching forward and grabbing a fistful of Wizardmon's coveralls and cowl. She pulled her fist back and threw it forward, hitting Wizardmon's mouth again and forcing him to the ground. Gatomon wanted to shout at her partner to stop, but her voice died in her throat. Kari marched up to Wizardmon and grabbed him again, yanking him up to his feet. Wizardmon stared a little fearfully, unsure how to process Kari's sudden bout of violence. Then, he noticed how much her hand shook as it clutched his vest and the tears forming in her eyes. "Shut up." The brunette ordered. "Don't you dare say one more negative thing about yourself."

Wizardmon stared at Kari, unable to say anything even if he could think of something to say.

Kari continued, tears pouring from her eyes and running down her cheeks. "I just don't get it. How can someone be so sad they want to die? Why can't you see how many people are here for you and how much they love you? Don't you see how much I love you? How much Gatomon and Rika and everyone loves you? Can't you see the pain you're causing by doing stuff like this? When we first met, I only knew you for a little while and then I had to watch you die. Then I had to go to the Digital World and watch so many other friends die just to protect me and the others. I've hardly seen any of my old friends since their deaths four years ago. Except you; you came back, and I was so happy. I can't just stand here and watch you die again!" She suddenly gripped his shoulders in her hands, still trembling fiercely as she sobbed. "I don't care that Oikawa has some influence over you. It doesn't change who you are. You can't keep beating yourself up for all the bad things that happened to you in the past, whether or not it really was your fault. You gotta fight it. Fight back against Oikawa and Arukenimon and Mummymon and that voice in your head that says so many mean things about you. They're all wrong! You're stronger than that! You're a DigiDestined Digimon. You have the Angel of Darkness inside you. You're one of the strongest Digimon on two worlds. You can't let fear and guilt rule your life. I'm right here for you. I'm never going to turn my back on you because you're my friend. You're a part of my family and I love you!" She pulled the Majin in a tight hug, her entire body shaking. Gatomon still stood back, staring in shock with tears in her eyes as well. Wizardmon stared at the ground, time seeming to slow to a halt.

* * *

><p>"<em>I don't need you to worry about me." Wizardmon huffed. "I was fine."<em>

"_I worry about you because I love you." Witchmon snapped._

"_No you don't!" Wizardmon shouted. "How could anyone love someone like me?"_

"_How can you say that?" Witchmon demanded, sounding more upset than angry now._

"_I'm not a Digimon that was meant to be loved." Wizardmon growled. "The Majin who were supposed to be my parents left me for dead. You took me in out of pity, so don't try and call yourself my mother."_

_Witchmon glared at Wizardmon for a moment before her face softened a little. She knelt to his eye level and put a hand on his cheek, moving his head so they could lock eyes._ _"I took you in and nursed you back to health because I took pity on you and believed you deserved a second chance at life. I kept you in my family because I grew to love you as my own son. Love is unconditional and it's what keeps you close to someone no matter how far away they are. When you find people to love and love you in return, you never let them go."_

_Wizardmon wanted to avoid Witchmon's eyes, but found he couldn't. "How will I know if they truly love me?"_

_Witchmon smiled here. "You'll know. It's a special bond with a special feeling you feel deep in your heart."_

_Wizardmon felt tears coming, and he tried to blink them away. But a few managed to sneak through and run down his cheek. Witchmon wiped the wetness away with her thumb, and suddenly Wizardmon wrapped his arms around her neck in a warm hug. Witchmon gladly returned the embrace, stroking her son's hair._

* * *

><p>Kari felt movement, and Wizardmon's arms wrapped around her to return the hug. Now, even he was shaking, and Kari could hear him struggling to keep his crying quiet.<p>

"I'm sorry, Kari." Wizardmon whispered, tears running down his cheeks and disappearing into his cowl. "I'm so sorry."

Kari shushed the Digimon and held him closer. "It's okay. Everything's going to be fine." She smiled warmly. "Hey, tell you what: you promise to never do something like this again, we can forget this entire incident even happened."

Wizardmon pulled away, wiping his eyes dry on his sleeve. He smiled softly under his cowl. "Okay." Kari mirrored his smile and pulled him into another hug.

"You better make room for me." Gatomon ordered playfully, tears in her eyes. Wizardmon and Kari laughed and made room for the cat Digimon to jump into their arms. The three of them stayed in the comforting embrace for a long moment, not even paying attention to anything else.

Then, a light caught Kari's attention, and she gasped softly. "Look!" The three of them focused their attention on a translucent figure several feet away, staring at them.

Wizardmon hesitantly stepped towards the figure, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Sorcermon?"

Gatomon gasped in realization. "Sorcermon was that light that led us to you, Wizardmon."

"That explains a lot." Kari said.

Sorcermon's icy blue eyes locked onto Wizardmon's dark jade ones, and suddenly he disappeared. The trail of light appeared again, leading from where Wizardmon, Gatomon, and Kari stood to the door and down the stairs. "Where does he want us to go?" Gatomon wondered aloud.

Kari blinked in realization. "Rika! I bet he's taking us to Rika! He must know where she is!"

Wizardmon's eyes settled back into their usual glare. He scooped up his staff. "Then what are we doing just standing here? Let's go!" The three of them quickly ran along the trail, practically flying down the stairs.

"Wizardmon, please don't do anything rash." Gatomon pleaded, running on all fours.

"I won't." Wizardmon assured. "I'm going to do what I should've done four years ago!"

* * *

><p>It took longer than Izzy, Tai, and Agumon would've liked to reach the forest, and much longer to find Rika's D-terminal. Unfortunately for them, they didn't even find the raven-haired girl with her D-terminal cell phone.<p>

"No!" Tai growled in frustration, clutching the cell phone tightly in one hand. He turned and shouted into the trees. "Rika! Rika, where are you?!"

"Can't you smell her, Agumon?" Izzy asked.

Agumon sniffed the ground. "I can't get a good trace on it. But her scent is all around here." He paused. "Oh…"

Izzy and Tai followed the yellow dinosaurs' gaze to several spots of red in the snow. Tai felt anger flare up in his chest. "She's hurt. When I get my hands on Oikawa, I'm going to strangle him!"

"We have to stay calm." Izzy said in an almost orderly tone. "We won't get anything done by getting angry."

Tai glared at the ground. "I know. But it's bad enough that she's hurt; to be hurt and out in this weather…." He looked towards the sky, already beginning to turn gold as the sun reached the horizon. "It's going to be nighttime soon. If she's stuck outside all night, she may not make it."

Izzy sighed. "Tai, we can't give up. Not yet. We just…" But even the computer genius boy didn't have a solution or anything encouraging to say.

Agumon looked to the snow, and he blinked. "Hey guys! Look!" The human boys looked down and gasped to see a trail of light at their feet, traveling deeper into the forest.

"Tai! Agumon! Izzy!" Kari's voice called. The three boys turned to see the brunette, Gatomon, and Wizardmon running towards them, following the light.

"Hey you found Wizardmon!" Agumon cheered.

"We can celebrate later!" Gatomon urged.

"Sorcermon's trying to help us find Rika!" Wizardmon added. "Follow that light!"

The boys joined their friends as they ran down the trail, staring ahead and anxiously waiting to catch sight of the raven-haired girl. "Wizardmon, promise you won't do anything crazy." Tai requested as they ran.

"Why does everyone think _I'm _going to do something crazy?" Wizardmon demanded.

"Because you _are _crazy!" Izzy said exasperatedly.

Wizardmon paused. "Valid point."

* * *

><p>Rika didn't stop running, even when she felt like collapsing a couple times. The only thing that halted her fleeing was the sheer drop off several feet from the tree line. She stared down the cliff, unable to see the bottom because of the fog bank below. She turned to run another direction only to find herself face to face with Oikawa. Rika desperately tried to dart around him, but he caught her arm and pulled her back.<p>

"I don't think so." Oikawa said in a sing-song tone. "You're not getting away from me so easily."

Rika laughed a bit. "You think it's _easy _getting away from you? You flatter me."

"You really are just a pest, aren't you?" Oikawa sighed.

Rika still smirked, despite feeling a little light-headed. "Don't forget that you were the one who wanted to find me in the first place. After all, _you _were the one who had my Crest and Digivice and ordered Wizardmon to find me."

Oikawa sighed, as though disappointed. "Yes. And what a shame; it turned out to be a complete waste of time and energy."

Rika's smirk disappeared. "Excuse me?"

"Well you're just as useless as Wizardmon." Oikawa shrugged, still keeping a vice-like grip on Rika's arm. "At least that pathetic Wizardmon had some power on him."

"You can't talk that way about my Digimon!" Rika snapped.

"I can talk about him however I want." Oikawa said. "It's not like you could protect him anyhow. Perhaps I should've spared him the torture of being your partner."

Rika squeezed her eyes shut. "Stop it."

"Stop what? Telling the truth?" Oikawa sneered, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "He was happy before he met you. He didn't have to worry about constantly protecting you. He never would've Dark Digivolved if it weren't for you. All the pain he feels is because of you; it's because you put him through it all."

"Shut up." Rika growled, fighting tears.

"It's all your fault, little Rika." Oikawa whispered, suddenly grabbing her shoulders and pulling her in closer. Unseen by Rika, Oikawa was eyeing her neck almost hungrily. "It's all your fault. You're the reason he's always in pain. You're the reason everything terrible ever happened to the DigiDestined, to your Digimon, to your family."

"_I said shut up!" _Rika screamed, her Crests glowing brightly. She pressed her hands against Oikawa's chest and shot twin blasts of dark energy into the man. Oikawa shouted in pain, stepping back until he stood only a foot away from the cliff edge. Rika stared in shock. _I almost forgot I could do that. But I didn't expect a reaction like this._

Oikawa clutched his skull, still shouting in pain, and suddenly his eyes turned a heated red. _"Crimson Lightning!" _A fiery, blood red whip formed in Oikawa's hand, and he swung it towards Rika.

Despite the shock, the raven-haired girl managed to gather her strength and create a barrier between her and the blast. The red whip and the shield disappeared. Rika stared at Oikawa with wide eyes. "It wasn't really you who attacked me as a kid." Her eyes fell into a glare. "It was the one inside you! Of course! No wonder you could control Arukenimon, Mummymon, and even Wizardmon! You're not fully human; you're being possessed by a Digimon!"

Oikawa chuckled, but his voice didn't even sound like his own. "You've finally figured it out."

"I should've known from the beginning." Rika sighed. "No ordinary human could control even two dolts like Arukenimon and Mummymon."

Oikawa's eyes and voice returned to normal. He chuckled darkly. "But you're not going to tell anyone about this. Because if you do, your precious little Wizardmon will die. And I'll make sure his death is slow and painful."

Rika glared. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh but I would." Oikawa assured. "I can't have you blabbing away my secret. After all, if I can choke him when he tries to tell, imagine what I can do if _you _try to tell."

Rika growled a little, but knew she didn't have a choice. "We _will _beat you. Don't assume otherwise."

Oikawa chuckled, moving towards Rika. "Oh you foolish child. You have too much faith in your friends. You will never win. From the moment you accepted the title of DigiDestined, your fate was sealed." Rika ran forward and moved to punch the man, but he caught her fist and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her up a little and leaning in close to her ear. "You really shouldn't push your luck. I could make you very powerful or cause you great suffering. I'm being generous by offering a choice, so you best take advantage of that now."

"_GET AWAY FROM HER!"_

Oikawa grunted in pain as a rock-hard fist connected with his face, forcing him to drop Rika. The girl grunted as she hit the ground, staring with wide eyes at Oikawa's attacker. "Wizardmon?" She gasped as the Majin and human suddenly fell over the edge of the cliff, and she scrambled forward. But by the time she reached the cliff edge, her Digimon and the villain were gone. "Wizardmon!"

"Rika!" Kari called, kneeling down beside her friend and hugging her. "Oh Rika, we were so worried!"

Rika hugged Kari, but still stared after her fallen Digimon. "I lost him. I've really lost him."

"Don't worry about him." Gatomon assured. "Wizardmon knows what he's doing."

"No!" Rika buried her face in her hands. "I'm supposed to be there for him! I'm his partner! If I had been there for him, he wouldn't be doing this kind of stuff! If I wasn't such a terrible trainer, Sorcermon would still be alive! I'm the worst DigiDestined in the history of DigiDestined!"

"That's not true!" Tai said firmly, kneeling down and putting a hand on Rika's shoulder. "Rika, listen to me. So your journey had a few bumps in the road. So what? I once caused Agumon to Dark Digivolve, and I was so afraid I'd cause him to do it again that I wouldn't _let_ him digivolve! But I moved on; it took a little help, but I did it."

"Wizardmon's fine." Kari assured. "Gatomon and I talked to him and I think he's seriously ready to move on. He's going to need you when this is over, and you gotta be there for him."

"And as for Sorcermon, you know he wouldn't want you to blame yourself for his death." Tai continued. "You know how I know that you're a great trainer? Because of your two Digimon. Wizardmon is a little rash and aggressive, especially in battle. Sorcermon is calm and gentle, even though when he fights he's pretty fierce. He's like the light to your darkness. In fact, he's the one that led us to you."

As if on cue, a glow appeared behind the group, and they turned to see a ghostly Sorcermon floating a few feet away. He looked to Rika and smiled warmly. Rika felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she wiped them away and smiled back. Sorcermon's smile disappeared and he glared past them at the cliff edge. He pointed to Gatomon, and then to the cliff.

"What does he want?" Izzy wondered aloud.

Gatomon looked over the edge. "He wants me to help Wizardmon."

Sorcermon nodded in confirmation and suddenly disappeared. Rika wanted to shout for him to stop, but she only sighed. "See you soon."

"You ready, Gatomon?" Kari asked, pulling out her D3.

"No Kari." Gatomon held up a paw. "I'll do this on my own. You were there for Wizardmon and Rika will be there for him when we return. But now I have to be there for him. Without Nefertimon." She ran to the cliff edge and jumped off, diving down towards the fog. _Please. _She prayed to whoever would listen. _Please let me become Angewomon. Please give me the power to help my friend._

A bright glow surrounded the feline Digimon.

"_Gatomon digivolve to….Angewomon!"_

* * *

><p>Wizardmon managed to start flying right before they hit the ground, throwing Oikawa against the cliff wall and landing in front of him. The Majin glared at his enemy. "I waited a long time to do that."<p>

Oikawa growled a little, standing and facing the Digimon. "Well I hope you enjoyed it, because you won't be doing _that _again. You should know the consequences of angering me. But even now, I can save your little Rika from terrible pain. I'll ensure her safety if you will agree to join me, just as you were supposed to do from the beginning. A simple promise to serve in return for the safety and wellbeing of the child you seem to love so much. That is what you always wanted, after all."

Wizardmon glared hard, and then…..he started laughing. A low, almost psychotic laugh that made even Oikawa nervous.

"Why are you laughing?" Oikawa demanded.

"It's just so funny." Wizardmon laughed lowly. "You're so stupid. Even after every insult I've thrown, every attack I took out on you, every round of torture you inflicted on me, you _still _want me on your side. I have power that you want, and you're so determined to finally take it. Don't you get it? That's just not going to happen. I will _never _be on your side." He stopped laughing, twirling his staff. Then, he darted towards Oikawa. "I am one of the most powerful Digimon on two worlds." He swung his staff, almost taking off Oikawa's head. "My strength is unmatched by any other Digimon." He used his staff like a pole vault and launched himself upwards, kicking Oikawa's chest and causing him to stumble backwards. "I will never—" He swung his staff up and hit Oikawa's jaw. "—be controlled by you—" He jabbed the end of his staff into Oikawa's stomach, causing him to double over in pain. "—ever again!" He landed a firm punch to Oikawa's chest, sending the man flying backwards and hitting the cliff wall.

Oikawa grunted in pain, panting a little. He glared murderously, and suddenly Wizardmon felt that same invisible force constricting his throat. His hands flew to his throat and he fell to his knees. "You little fool." Oikawa growled. "Don't you see it? You will never be free of me. You can't do anything without me watching your every move. And every time you do something I don't like, you get hurt. One would think that you'd realize this by now."

Wizardmon struggled to breathe properly. But he closed his eyes and murmured mantras under his breath. He picked up his fallen staff and stood up tall, his eyes opening to reveal an inky blackness. The force on his throat disappeared to nothing as the shadow of the Angel of Darkness appeared around the Majin. Oikawa's eyes widened at the sight. Wizardmon spoke with a strong voice, a demonic second voice echoing him. "You're wrong. I will never let you control me again. I have my friends and family behind me no matter what happens. I'm never going to be afraid of you again." He let out a shout of effort that, combined with the demonic voice, sounded like a roar. He took off charging towards Oikawa. Oikawa's eyes widened now in fear.

At the last second, Oikawa suddenly became surrounded by a glowing red aura and he threw a blast of energy, forcing Wizardmon and the Angel of Darkness to stop. The Angel let out a screech, hissing at Oikawa and throwing his own blast of dark energy. Oikawa pulled up a shield and the blast deflected off it. However, the force of the blow broke the shield and pushed Oikawa against the cliff wall.

The man glared at his opponent. "I was so hoping to be able to spare your life. You're right; you have unimaginable power, and I want it. But I suppose we can't always get what we want. But I _will _get to the Digital World and you won't stop me." He held an open palm to Wizardmon. "Prepare to die, little wizard."

"_Oikawa!"_

The man looked up to see a flash of white and blonde right before Angewomon's foot met his face and he flew backwards, slamming into the cliff wall and slumping to the ground. Angewomon turned to Wizardmon, and suddenly the Angel of Darkness seemed to go calm. The Angel Digimon began to glow with a bright white light, and the aura manifested into a white shadow that almost resembled herself. The Angel of Light took the hand of the Angel of Darkness, and the spirits seemed to smile.

Wizardmon, his eyes reverting back to their dark jade green color, look up as Angewomon moved to stand beside him. "Nice timing."

Angewomon smirked. "I try. You all right?"

"I'll be fine." Wizardmon assured, his gaze locked on Oikawa. "Let's finish this."

"I agree." Angewomon nodded, turning to Oikawa.

The human looked to his opponents, noticing the powerful spirits that appeared before him. The red glow that once surrounded him long since gone, and he knew he didn't stand a chance against these enemies. But rather than look fearful, he laughed evilly as he stood. "Don't be so sure. You haven't defeated me yet." He reached into one of his jacket pockets and pulled out a round object with what looked like a grenade pin in it.

"A smoke bomb?" Angewomon gasped.

"Where the heck did he get _that_?" Wizardmon gaped a bit.

"Farewell, for now." Oikawa laughed, pulling the pin and dropping the smoke bomb to the ground.

"NO!" Wizardmon shouted, him and Angewomon running to Oikawa. But the smoke bomb went off just before he could reach him, and when they dived forward they only hit smoky air instead of the human. The smoke cleared away to show Oikawa truly disappeared. "No!" Wizardmon shouted in frustration, slamming his fist against the cliff wall. "I was so close! I could've finished him! How does he slip away so easily?!" He slumped forward a bit, his forehead resting against the rocks. The Angel of Darkness growled and hissed, clearly miffed.

Angewomon approached her friend and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. The Angel of Light mimicked the action to her darker counterpart. "Wizardmon. He's going to make his move soon enough. We _will _have another chance to take him down, and we won't fail."

Wizardmon sighed. "I know…." He took a calming breath, and the Angels disappeared within their hosts once more.

Angewomon smiled. "Hey. Come on. Your sister is waiting for you."

Wizardmon smiled softly. "Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Kari, Rika, Tai, Agumon, and Izzy stepped back as Wizardmon and Angewomon flew up and landed on the ground in front of them. Wizardmon walked up to Rika, the two of them staring at each other for a long moment. Everyone else watched, waiting for whoever would make the first move.<p>

Rika spoke first. "Sorry that I got kidnapped. I bet it really made you worry."

"It's not your fault for getting kidnapped." Wizardmon replied. "But no duh it made me worry."

"Where's Oikawa?"

"He got away."

"Figures. But don't worry. We'll get him next time for sure."

"He's bound to make his move sooner or later, and we'll be there to stop him when the time comes."

"I'll be right by your side the entire time. We'll take him down together."

"With Sorcermon by our side as well, I'm sure."

"Yeah. Definitely."

A pause.

"What happened to your wrists?"

"Hurt them trying to escape. What happened down in the canyon? I heard something screeching."

"I might've released the Angel of Darkness again."

Rika huffed. "The stress you put me through is going to shorten my lifespan to about three years."

Wizardmon cracked a smile, and then did something that greatly surprised Rika: he came forward and hugged her. The raven-haired girl blinked in surprise, unable to remember the last time Wizardmon hugged her instead of the other way around. But when she felt him trembling, her face softened and she returned the hug. The two of them stayed like that for a long moment.

"I love you, Rika." Wizardmon whispered.

Rika blinked away her happy tears. "I love you too."

"All right, that's it." Kari came forward to join in. "Group hug everyone!" They all laughed and came together, laughing and hugging.

The beeping of Tai's cell phone forced him to pull away as he hurriedly answer it. "Hello? Oh hey Joe. What? Whoa, whoa, slow down! It's what? Hang on, I'm putting you on speakerphone." He held out his phone and pressed a button. "All right, take a deep breath and tell us what's going on."

"_Sorcermon's egg has been glowing and wiggling for like ten minutes straight!" _Joe's voice said hurriedly. _"I think it's going to hatch! I'm emailing everyone right now and telling them to get over to your place. Did you find Rika and Wizardmon?"_

"We're right here, Joe." Rika confirmed.

"We're on our way." Wizardmon added. "Keep an eye on that egg!"

"_No problem." _Joe assured. _"Just hurry!"_

* * *

><p>The group didn't stop running until they reached the Kamiya apartment, bursting through the front door and sprinting to the living room, where the rest of the DigiDestined gathered. They all welcomed Rika and Wizardmon back with broad smiles and plenty of hugs, but quickly their focus returned to Joe who sat on the couch with Sorcermon's Digi-Egg resting in a blanket in his lap. The egg still glowed and jerked a few times, but still remained intact. Rika and Wizardmon took a seat on the loveseat and Joe gently handed the pale blue Digi-Egg to Rika.<p>

The Guardian DigiDestined of Darkness looked to Wizardmon. "Ready to see your twin again?"

Wizardmon nodded. "Absolutely."

"Looks like he's ready to come out." T.K. noted. "Just gotta rub it."

Rika and Wizardmon shared a look and each put a hand on the egg, rubbing it gently. Everyone watched as the glow died down and the egg began to crack. The cracks appeared all over the egg and it suddenly burst to pieces, leaving a small, white ball of fluff in Rika's hands. The ball of fluff moaned and shifted, revealing a YukimiBotamon.

"Sorcermon?" Rika breathed.

The baby Digimon blinked. "I think I'm called YukimiBotamon now, but yeah." He blinked. "Wow. My voice is so squeaky."

Everyone else laughed good-heartedly. "Now you know how I feel as Kiimon." Wizardmon laughed.

YukimiBotamon looked back and forth from Rika to Wizardmon. "Are you two feeling better now?"

"We're feeling much better." Wizardmon assured. "And it's thanks to you. You helped the others find us."

YukimiBotamon looked down shyly. He smiled up at Rika. "So if I was reborn through a Digi-Egg, does that mean I'm a real Digimon now and not just a Control Spire Digimon?"

"Oh Sorcermon." Rika smiled warmly. "You always were one."

"Yeah, like Pinocchio only with less splinters." Davis said, only to earn a bop on the head from DemiVeemon.

"Don't ruin the moment!" DemiVeemon teased, causing everyone to laugh. But what really made them bust a gut was when Rika kissed YukimiBotamon's head and caused him to blush.

Their team was whole once more.


	47. Oikawa's Shame

**Episode 48: Oikawa's Shame**

12月31日

"Hey guys!"

The DigiDestined turned, making sure they remained hidden by the bushes and trees, to see Rika jogging down the bridge path. Wizardmon and an Impmon joined her.

"Hey Rika." Izzy greeted. He blinked in surprise. "Hey, the cuts on your wrists are gone."

"That's thanks to Impmon here." Rika said, patting said Digimon on the shoulder. "Even in his Rookie form, Sorcermon's healing magic could come through to heal my wounds."

"So that's Sorcermon?" Davis guessed, pointing to the Impmon.

"Yep!" Impmon nodded. It was then that everyone noticed this Impmon had pale periwinkle colored eyes instead of green.

"Turns out, both Sorcermon and I digivolve from Impmon." Wizardmon shrugged.

Impmon turned to Rika, bouncing on his toes. "Hey Rika! Can I digivolve to Sorcermon now?"

"Already?" Rika smiled.

"Come on!" Impmon pleaded. "We may need a DNA Digivolution soon."

"What's he so excited about?" Kari giggled.

"He's finally able to digivolve on his own instead of just DNA Digivolving." Rika explained. "It's a first for him." She pulled out her Digivice. "All right, Impmon. You ready?"

Impmon bounced excitedly. "Yeah! Do it!"

"Okay!" Rika pointed her Digivice to Impmon. "Digivolve!"

"_Impmon digivolve to…Sorcermon!"_

The ice Majin bounced a bit more, looking giddier than a child on a sugar high. "That's so much fun!"

Wizardmon rolled his eyes. "Oh brother."

Everyone laughed a little. Rika looked past them to the rest of the bridge, now quite empty of people. "You sure this is where we're supposed to be?"

"Well, this is supposed to be the meeting place." Yolei said as Rika, Wizardmon, and Sorcermon knelt down to better hide with the others.

"Yeah, but no one's even here." Davis pointed out.

"Wait, look!" Kari pointed. "There's one of them now." Sure enough, one of the Dark Spore children seemed to have appeared out of thin air, standing on the bridge and staring out into the distance.

"And there's another one too." Izzy pointed out as another child appeared the same way. More and more children appeared every time a pedestrian passed by.

"They seem to be waiting for something." Cody guessed.

"Do you think they're waiting for Oikawa?" Kari asked.

"I wonder if that's why they're all here." Yolei added.

"That'd be my best guess." Rika confirmed. "After all, the guy's got almost complete control over them."

"That would make sense." Cody nodded. "This might be our chance to capture him."

"Now wait a minute, guys." Matt spoke up. "Let's not rush into anything."

"But why are they at Highton View Terrace?" Davis wondered aloud.

"A gate to the Digital World has been opened in this location many times before." Izzy answered. "Maybe that's why they're here."

"But according to what Gabumon and the others said, BlackWarGreymon completely sealed the gate between the worlds." Matt reminded them. "Unless those children don't know that yet."

"Then Oikawa doesn't either!" Cody realized.

"Perfect." Wizardmon said. "Can't wait to see the look on his face when he realizes it."

"Wizardmon…." Rika warned.

"What?" Wizardmon shrugged. "I already gave him a piece of my mind last night; I'm ready to give him the entire thing now."

"Me too." Sorcermon agreed. "I can finally get Arukenimon for everything she's done."

"I think we're all ready for the fight, guys." Gatomon said. "But rushing into things is only going to get us killed. So keep your heads." The two Majin nodded in understanding.

"Hey T.K.!" Davis called as the blonde boy approached, only for everyone to shush him hurriedly.

"Big mouth!" Yolei hissed.

"Hey guys." T.K. said quietly. Then he noticed something. "Do you know where Tai and Sora are?"

"They're keeping an eye on that girl from yesterday to make sure nothing happens to her." Armadillomon replied.

"Does it bother you that Sora's with Tai instead of you?" Izzy asked Matt.

"Come on, Tai's my best friend and he knows how I feel." Matt said with a smile. "Besides, I completely trust Sora. I'm not worried at all, Izzy."

"Matt's got a girlfriend." Rika said in a sing-song voice, causing the older blonde to roll his eyes and playfully shove her.

Izzy jumped a little when his cell phone rang, and he hurriedly answered it. "Hello?"

"_Hi Izzy honey! It's Mom!" _Mrs. Izumi's voice came from the other side. _"I'm down at Highton View Terrace."_

Izzy's eyes widened a bit and he hurried to the railing, looking down to see his mother in a phone booth. "Mom, what are you doing here?" He sounded both worried and exasperated, but Mrs. Izumi didn't seem to notice.

"_Well you know," _Mrs. Izumi said._ "I was just thinking about the fact that all the other parents are doing their part to help out all of you kids. You know; each one lending their own expertise. So I sat right down and asked myself 'Now what's my expertise?' And the answer is snacks! So I made guys you some PB&J with the crust cut off."_

Izzy tried to hold back his groan. "PB&J?" He could hear Armadillomon and Gatomon laughing. "But Mom….."

"_I know how you hate the crusts." _Mrs. Izumi said simply.

Izzy groaned a bit. "Okay. Hold on. I'll be down in a minute."

"_Okay! Bye!" _Mrs. Izumi hung up.

Izzy turned to his friends with a sheepish smile. "My mom. I'll be right back, guys." He jogged off, knowing his friends probably laughed a bit.

"PB&J!" Armadillomon cheered.

"I _am _kind of hungry." Sorcermon admitted.

Kari stared at the ground, a worried look coming across her features. "Don't you think that everything about the Digital World just seems to be getting worse and worse? I mean, we don't have any idea of what Oikawa's planning. Or what that shadow that came out of him was. Or if he's even more than an ordinary human."

"Rika would know." Davis said, looking to said girl. "I mean, she was kidnapped by him and all that."

In her head, Rika could hear Oikawa's voice threatening to kill Wizardmon if she spoke a word, and out of the corner of her eye she could see the Majin rubbing his throat a little. She shrugged. "Sorry guys. I got nothing."

Kari sighed a little. "I wonder if there's really anything we _can_ do to save all those children."

T.K. mirrored her concerned look, but then put on a hopeful smile. "I don't know. But we just have to believe in ourselves and keep trying. We can't give up."

Kari allowed a soft smile to appear on her face. "You're right. I guess I'm just feeling nervous. I just wish we knew what Oikawa was planning."

"No worries, guys." Ken assured. "We can do this."

"Yeah, Ken's right." Joe agreed. "We know Oikawa wants to harvest those Dark Spores, and as long as we know that, we have a goal: to protect those kids." Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Ken gasped softly, looking up to the roof of a nearby building. "What is that?" He murmured.

"What's the matter, Ken?" Wormmon asked.

Ken stared at the building, but nothing caught his eyes. "Nothing. I though I felt something."

"Was it Oikawa?" Wormmon asked worriedly.

"I don't really know." Ken admitted. "Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me."

"I sure hope so." Wormmon gulped a bit.

"Yeah, I hope so too." Davis agreed.

Wizardmon closed his eyes and concentrated. _I can sense them. They're not too far off. _His grip tightened around his staff. _You won't win this time. I'll make sure of it. _The Majin felt a soft touch on his glove, and he opened his eyes to see Sorcermon staring at him as though to ask if he were okay. Wizardmon only smiled and nodded.

Mrs. Izumi arrived a few minutes later, carrying said snacks wrapped in a cloth. "Well hello there, everybody." She greeted warmly. "I brought you all some PB&J with the crust cut off."

"Aw, you didn't need to do that." Kari said as she accepted the box.

"Thanks Mrs. Izumi!" the other children and Digimon chimed.

"Thanks." Izzy told his mother. "But you better go home now."

"Can't I stay for a while?" Mrs. Izumi requested.

"But Mom, things might get really ugly." Izzy protested kindly.

"Okay then, I better go." Mrs. Izumi sighed.

"So go then!" Izzy snapped, only to smile sheepishly at the action.

"Please try to understand Izzy's feelings, Mrs. Izumi." Matt explained gently. "You're really very important to him and he doesn't want anything to happen to you."

"I know." Mrs. Izumi sighed. "It's just that…" She glanced to the Dark Spore children. "Those children. I'm sure that their parents would be worried about them if they knew what their kids were doing. Wait! That's it!" She smiled warmly. "If you don't need me here, I can go talk to their parents! Maybe I can get their folks to come down here and see for themselves just what their children are doing!"

Izzy smiled too. "Hey! That's a great idea there, Mom!"

"Really?" Mrs. Izumi seemed very pleased. Izzy nodded happily. "I'll go do that then! Goodbye, everybody! Be careful!"

"Bye Mrs. Izumi!" the DigiDestined called as the woman hurried off.

"You're mom's really nice, Izzy." Rika said. "She reminds me a lot of my mom."

"But I don't know if bringing their parents here is going to help, though." Yolei said sadly.

"And I doubt that even their parents will be able to remove the Dark Spores from inside them." Cody added.

"Don't give up hope, guys." T.K. encouraged. "Maybe the parents can reach their kids in a way that we can't."

"Just the way Kari was able to reach me when I was working for Myotismon." Gatomon said.

Wizardmon tensed a little at the mention of the vampire's name. _I'm not even going to imagine her reaction when he finally reveals himself._

"Yeah…." Yolei murmured.

"But…." Cody mumbled.

"They're right." Ken assured. "I mean, look at how you guys were able to help me turn away from evil. If I can be saved, they can. And as for the parents trying to help out, there's no doubt in my mind that they _will _make a difference. You see I believe that part of the reason the Dark Spore stopped growing inside of me is because I was finally able to accept the love my parents had been trying to give me all those years." Everyone had to smile at that, knowing Ken was right. A new hope began to flourish within them.

"Everyone!" Hawkmon suddenly cried from his perch in the tree. "Something is happening!"

Everyone whipped around to the Dark Spore Children, but their eyes focused on the tall man in a purple trench coat that stood amongst them. "Oikawa!" Ken called.

"Let's go get that creepy dude!" Davis urged, spurring everyone into action. They sprinted down the bridge towards Oikawa, only to skid to a halt when Arukenimon and Mummymon jumped down into their path, in their Digimon forms and ready to fight.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Arukenimon sneered.

"Move it, lady!" Veemon snapped.

"Don't stand in our way!" Sorcermon brandished his staff threateningly, his hateful glare locked on the drider woman.

"You better not touch those children!" Ken shouted at Oikawa.

"I'm afraid I have no choice." Oikawa said casually. "You see the roots of the Dark Flowers are spreading like wildfire and if they're not removed before the growth cycle is complete all of these children will turn into Dark Trees!"

Everyone jumped a little. "Is he serious?" Matt asked Ken.

"I'm not sure." Ken admitted. "That's not what happened with me. But can we really afford to take the chance?"

"Your Spore was the original, so it was able to live inside you without destroying you." Oikawa explained. "But the Dark Spores in these children are only copies of yours, so they're imperfect. And it seems they're completely taking over."

"How could you do such a thing?" Cody yelled.

"They wanted the Spores." Oikawa shrugged. "Ask them." The kids nodded, almost robotically.

"You're a liar!" Davis shouted.

"They wanted them because you made it seem like the Dark Spore was the greatest thing in the world!" Rika snapped. "When in reality _you're _the only one that gains anything!"

Oikawa didn't seem to pay much attention to them anymore, pulling out his laptop and opening it. "And now…." He began typing away, more focused on his work than the DigiDestined.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ken demanded.

"We're on our way to the Digital World." Mummymon replied simply.

"Hey Bandage Brain!" Arukenimon snapped. "Just because we're doing that doesn't mean you have to tell them!"

Mummymon slapped a hand over his mouth. "Oh right! I forgot!"

"Leave him alone, Arukenimon." Oikawa said dismissively. "It doesn't matter that they know because there's nothing they can do to stop me."

"Oh yeah?" Cody retorted. "How do you know that?"

"Now really." Oikawa droned a little. "I've successfully sent Arukenimon and Mummymon from here to the Digital World many times before, haven't I? It's a weak spot between the two worlds. And now the Dark Spores will open the gate."

Davis suddenly remembered something. "But that's the gate that BlackWarGreymon—"

Yolei shushed him hurriedly. "Big mouth!" T.K. scolded quietly so Oikawa wouldn't hear. "When the gate doesn't open, Oikawa will be distracted and that may give us the chance to save those children."

"Oh I gotcha." Davis said. "Good plan."

Oikawa sneered triumphantly. "Well? This is your last chance. Anything you've always wanted to ask me?"

Ken spoke up. "Why me? Why did you have to pick me?"

"Oh not this again!" Arukenimon complained.

"It's a valid question that's never been answered fully!" Rika snapped, glaring at Oikawa. "You originally came to Wizardmon and told him to find me because you were going to use me, right? Make _me _the Digimon Empress because of my Crest. It would've been easy; for the longest time I believed my Crest if Darkness meant I was evil. But then Wizardmon and I disappeared and you had to find someone else fast. So why'd you pick Ken?"

"I always knew that you were DigiDestined." Oikawa explained, staring at Ken. "And I knew that you were the most vulnerable one. Overwhelmed by darkness yourself, you were the perfect tool."

"But not forever!" Ken snapped. "What are the Dark Towers?"

"A present from the Dark Ocean to keep you busy." Oikawa replied simply. "They proved to be quite fortuitous. Now I suppose you want to know their purpose. Well, they were to change the borders of the Digital World."

"And just what did you hope to accomplish by changing the borders?" Izzy demanded.

"It's simple, really." Oikawa said. "You see, I wanted to weaken the Digital World's defenses."

"But why would you?" Cody sounded genuinely curious a little horrified.

"I could always open a gate to the Digital World. But there was one little problem: its defenses always prevented me from entering. So I created these two—" He pointed to Arukenimon and Mummymon here. "—by turning my DNA into data and sent them into the Digital World in my place. But when I saw them there, it only made me want to go more. So I used you to build the Control Spires, Ken. But all you other kids ruined that plan. So I had to come up with another one. If I couldn't alter the barrier between the worlds from inside the Digital World, I would do it from inside the Real one. And that's when I came up with the idea for the Dark Spores. Each of them feeding on the innocence that enables a child to enter the Digital World and converting it to the power I needed to go there myself." His tone changed a bit, sounding almost longing. "My own dream, my lifelong goal, is almost within my grasp thanks to these deluded children. I've waited so long for this." Much to everyone's surprise, especially Arukenimon's and Mummymon's, Oikawa began to cry; a sound coming out quite heart-wrenching.

"Why is he crying?" Veemon asked, sounding sincere.

Wizardmon tensed a little, gasping softly. "Wizardmon?" Rika asked. "What is it?"

"It's not important." Wizardmon said. "Not yet at least." _There it is again; this is Oikawa's aura. I'm not sure I can even feel Myotismon's anymore. Which is either really good or really bad; only time will tell._

"My dream is finally coming true!" Oikawa sobbed. "Oh Hiroki, how I wish I could've brought you with me!"

Cody gasped, staring at the man whom just two minutes ago he considered his greatest enemy. "Cody, isn't that your dad's name?" Rika asked.

"Yeah." Cody breathed.

In a split-second, Oikawa stopped crying and turned to the Dark Spore children with a triumphant smile. "And now, my little children! All together! 'Boys and girls, boys and girls, let's go to the Digital World.'" The kids began chanting, standing in two circles around Oikawa as he prepared to open the gate. A bluish glow appeared over them as the children as they sang.

"He's trying to open it!" Kari breathed.

"Okay, get ready to jump him." Davis instructed. "He'll find out soon enough that Ring Around the Rosy won't get him to the DigiWorld." They all tensed up, ready to spring forward and finish the battle.

"This is it!" Oikawa announced. "Here we go!" He typed a few things on his computer. "The long wait is over at last!"

The DigiDestined waited for Oikawa to realize his plan didn't work. But to their shock and horror, a line of light appeared in the air and grew larger until a glowing gateway opened up out of thin air.

"It opened!" Yolei gasped.

"That's not possible!" Wizardmon breathed.

"Yes! It actually worked!" Oikawa cheered. "Children! Follow me!" He ran off into the gate, the Dark Spore children close behind.

"Hey, what about us?" Mummymon whined.

"Wait! Don't leave us behind!" Arukenimon yelped.

"Wait up!" Mummymon added as the two of them charged after their master.

"No!" Sorcermon growled. "We can't let them escape! They can't win this time!"

"Ditto on that." Wizardmon agreed.

"Double ditto. Let's go!" Rika and her Digimon sprinted off before anyone to stop them, and they disappeared into the gate.

"Rika!" Kari called. "Wizardmon! Sorcermon!"

"How did he open up the gate?" Matt demanded.

"I don't know!" Izzy replied.

"What should we do, guys?" Cody asked.

"Save the world, as usual!" Davis urged. "Come on!" The second generation DigiDestined sprinted off to the gate.

"Wait a minute, you guys!" Matt shouted. "Hold on! We can't just rush after him! It's too dangerous!" He, Izzy, and Joe hurried after their friends, but the gate closed on them before they could follow.

"We're too late." Izzy said ruefully. "They're all on their own now."

* * *

><p>Oikawa and the children found a field of flowers and the night sky when they reached the other side, and if their eyes didn't shine before they certainly did now from the excitement.<p>

"We have arrived, children!" Oikawa announced happily. "We are finally here!" The children ran ahead, laughing and cheering. Oikawa smiled warmly, staring at everything around him. Even though he couldn't see much now, he knew it would look even more beautiful when the sun came up. "It's real. I've spent so much time dreaming about this. Then finally being here makes it seem as if I only fallen asleep and returned to that dream, but it's real. The dream is real! The moment I've been waiting for is finally here." A fearful cry made Oikawa look up, and he noticed one of the younger children sitting on the ground and staring in horror at nothing in particular. Now worried himself, Oikawa hurried over to the boy. "What's the matter with you? Why don't you play with the other children?"

"This is wrong." The boy whimpered. "This is just wrong. We're not really in the Digital World."

"What are you saying?" Oikawa asked with a soothing smile. "Of course it's the Digital World!"

"No it's…it's wrong!" the boy insisted. Oikawa gasped in surprise as the "night sky" faded to light to reveal a strange new world. It looked to just be one large room with yellow walls with other colors spotted on like spray paint. Strange shapes, looking like everything from coral to sponges, floated in space. Some sort of ink-like liquid seeped from nearby rocks and into the air. It was hard to describe the place, but one thing was for sure: it was _not _the Digital World.

"What….what is this place?" Oikawa cried. "If this isn't the Digital World, then where have I brought us?" A light caught his eye, and he turned to see Arukenimon and Mummymon fighting the DigiDestined Digimon, quickly beaten down with a few quick moves from their opponents.

The DigiDestined children ran closer to Oikawa, standing several yards away and glaring fiercely at the man. "That was just a sample of your parting gifts!" Davis taunted.

"Yeah!" Ken added. "Now let those children go!" To their surprise, Oikawa looked more crushed than angry.

"What's going on? I don't understand!" Oikawa cried in despair. "It's gone! What's happened to my dream?!" Realizing they were in a completely strange and different place, the Dark Spore children suddenly became very scared. They huddled together in a group, crying and wailing a bit out of pure fear.

"Hey, where are we?" Kari asked once the DigiDestined got a good look of their surroundings.

"It's like we ended up in a Wassily Kandinsky painting." Rika said. "What kind of place is this?"

"I don't know." Yolei breathed. "Because BlackWarGreymon shut the Digital Gate, we must've ricocheted to another world. But which world this might be, I have no clue. I've never seen anything like this before."

Oikawa growled in frustration. _"It's not fair! I wanted to go to the Digital World!"_

As if being in that strange world wasn't confusing enough, a pair of purple lips complete with two sets of fangs suddenly appeared out of thin air.

"You can't always get what you want, can you?" the mouth chuckled. Oikawa turned and stared in shock at the mouth, his frustration temporarily gone. "You can forget the Digital World, Oikawa. It is beyond your reach now. You will never see it again, even in your dreams." The Dark Spore children whimpered and murmured fearfully, staring at the giant mouth. "Yes, cry." The mouth said, seeming to enjoy their pain. "You are doomed. For you have entered a world of despair where your souls will be consumed by darkness. And there is no place for you to hide nor hope for you to escape." The children's wails grew louder.

"Yeesh, pessimistic much?" Rika huffed. Then she heard soft gasping, and she turned with a worried look. "Wizardmon?"

The Majin stared in horror at the mouth, shaking like a rattlesnake's tail and unable to say coherent words for a moment. "It's him…..he's really coming back…..all this time, I had a small hope he wouldn't return….but he's actually coming back…"

"Who's coming back?" Sorcermon asked.

T.K. glared at the mouth. "Who or what are you? Are you working with Daemon or some other weirdo?"

"Daemon?" the mouth chuckled as though mentioning the evil Digimon's name were a good joke.

"Am I going crazy?" Oikawa gasped. "Or is my voice coming out of that mouth?"

"A bit of both, I think." The mouth replied. "You see, I'm you."

"What are you saying?" Oikawa demanded, no longer paying attention to anything else. Mummymon and Arukenimon stepped up behind him, staring in awe at the mouth. The DigiDestined Digimon gathered around their human partners, ready to protect them if necessary.

"Four years ago, I was in need of a host." The mouth explained. "And when I found you, I used you to store my data. Then you and I became as one."

"Four years ago?" Oikawa breathed. "That was just about the time my friend Hiroki died."

The mouth laughed. "Yes, Hiroki. The friend over whom you _pretended _to grieve. But you secretly hated him, didn't you? Hated him because the two of you had promised to go to the Digital World together but he left you all alone."

Oikawa seemed horrified at the suggestion. "That's not true! I could never have hated Hiroki!"

"Do you not remember?" the mouth asked, and Oikawa found himself forcibly flashing back to four years ago.

* * *

><p><em>Oikawa stared up at the streaks in the night sky, revealing the Digital World above him. Gasping, he quickly pulled out a picture of Hiroki and held it up so the eyes looked to the sky. Tears ran down Oikawa's cheeks.<em>

"_Look Hiroki." He told the picture. "Can you see it? It's the Digital World we were supposed to visit together! It's so beautiful! Can you see it?" His tears increased greatly as he fell to his knees, forcefully shoving the picture into his pocket. "Why did you have to do it, Hiroki? Why did you have to die and leave me alone?! How could you do this to me?" He looked up with another gasp to see a rainbow of light carrying eight children and eight Digimon up to the Digital World. "The DigiDestined!" He stood up hurriedly, futilely reaching out to the children. "Take me too! I want to leave this world!" But the DigiDestined disappeared, leaving him alone in his misery._

"Do you _really _want to go to the Digital World?" _a voice asked._

_Oikawa jumped a bit, looking around but finding no one. "What's that? Who's there?"_

"If you really want to go to the Digital World, soothe your heart with darkness and I'll take you there." _the voice promised._

_Hardly thinking, Oikawa shouted "Yes! I'll do anything! Anything you want! Just take me there, please!"_

"So be it."

* * *

><p>"That was <em>you<em>?" Oikawa gasped. "This whole time? You've been inside of me, controlling everything I did?"

The voice chuckled, this time sounding much different than Oikawa. "I do so love irony, my little marionette."

Gatomon suddenly gasped. "That voice."

"What?" Kari asked.

Gatomon glared now. "I still hear that voice in my nightmares." She turned to Wizardmon. "Is it true? Am I right?"

Wizardmon looked away, gripping his staff so tight his knuckles turned white. "I'm sorry, Gatomon."

"Gatomon, who is that?" Rika asked.

Gatomon cast a gentle smile to Wizardmon before glaring hard at the mouth. "Myotismon!"

Everyone gasped, even Arukenimon and Mummymon who had only ever heard stories about the evil vampire Digimon. Only T.K., Kari, Gatomon, Angemon, and Wizardmon looked truly horrified over the revelation, the rest of the DigiDestined never fully aware of Myotismon's threat.

"Myotismon?" Angemon breathed. "But how can that be?"

"Myotismon?" Kari whimpered a little.

"I'm not surprised that you saw through me, my old pet." Myotismon's voice said from the mouth. "But here's something you didn't know: the Dark Spirals were based on your own beloved tail ring. So in a way, _you _caused those Digimon to be enslaved."

Gatomon still glared at her old master. "I should've known that only your twisted mind could come up with a plan as evil as this. And I should've known only _you _could be strong enough to control Wizardmon for all this time." She cast a brief, pitiful glance to Wizardmon. "If it takes my nine lives, I'll destroy you!"

"Don't leave me out of that fight." Wizardmon spoke up, seeming to have recovered from his moment of shock.

"Delightful." Myotismon said. "But you're so very misguided." The mouth disappeared, and suddenly Oikawa doubled over in pain. A blue light erupted from his mouth and materialized into a second Oikawa, who turned to face the original as he coughed harshly. Myotismon smirked. "What's the matter? Are you seeing double? Oh sorry, Gatomon got your tongue?"

Oikawa didn't answer for a moment, too overwhelmed by everything happening.

"Oh and by the way." Myotismon continued without hesitation. "About the Dark Spores opening a doorway between the worlds, they're really just the batteries that will allow me to finally be reborn."

Oikawa suddenly glared, furious at this Digimon that dared to use his beloved dream against him. "You—!" He suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, and his muscles turned to jelly. He groaned as he sank to the ground, too weak to move.

Myotismon only smirked as he turned to the Dark Spore children, who cowered and began screaming and crying again. "Please don't worry. I won't destroy you yet. I first need to harvest the Dark Flowers growing inside of you."

"I wouldn't count on that!" Davis shouted, the DigiDestined charging for the villain.

"What are you waiting for?" Myotismon snapped at Arukenimon and Mummymon. "Fight!" Not wanting to disobey, considering the vampire Digmon was still technically their master, the two Digimon lunged for their oncoming attackers.

Wizardmon leaped into the air and flew over the battle, landing between Myotismon and the Dark Spore children. He held his staff ready to fight. "You won't touch these children."

"Oh Wizardmon." Myotismon chuckled. "Do you really think you can stop me?"

"I won't stop trying." Wizardmon promised. "You took advantage of an innocent man's dream. How can you be so cruel?"

"Cruel?" Myotismon chuckled again. "I'm merely trying to fulfill my own dream. To do that, I'm going to need as much power as I can get." He eyed the wizard Digimon before him. "In fact, just to show that I'm not as despicable as you think, I'll relieve you of duty, my slave." He held up a hand, and suddenly Wizardmon felt like a boulder slammed into his chest. He jerked and grunted in pain, dropping his staff and clutching his chest.

Rika looked over to her Digimon, her eyes widening a bit. "Wizardmon!" She and Sorcermon hurried over to him, but barely made it three steps before Wizardmon let out an agonized scream, floating a few feet off the ground. An inky black cloud emitted from his mouth and eyes, becoming absorbed within Myotismon. When the cloud fully disappeared into the vampire Digimon, Wizardmon hit the ground with a dull_ thud, _fighting but failing to rise.

"What….." Wizardmon coughed. "What was that?"

"It's nothing really." Myotismon shrugged. "It's just some of my data I implanted into you so I'd always be able to keep an eye on you. You've been carrying a literal piece of me inside you for four years."

Wizardmon struggled to stand, glaring. "You…put that inside me?"

"Yes, and it worked so well, didn't it?" Myotismon laughed, reaching down and grabbing the Majin by his hair and lifting him to eye level. "I didn't even have to think about it; every time you thought to reveal me to your friends, the data inside me would stop you. A wondrous concept; and it was so simple to implant it after resurrecting you. Only now, I can finally return, and you won't stop me."

"_Drowning Aquarius!" _

Myotismon shouted in surprise as a column of water crashed into him, making him stumble and drop Wizardmon. The water swirled around the fallen Majin, carrying him and his staff over to Sorcermon and Rika. The two of them helped him stand.

"That explains why I could never draw the darkness from you." Rika said, glaring at Myotismon as he began harvesting the Dark Flowers. "We can't let him get those flowers!" She started forward, but Mummymon's gun blasts made her jump back again.

Helpless to stop him, the DigiDestined could only watch as Myotismon absorbed every flower from the Dark Spore children. The kids slumped to the ground, unconscious or just too weak to move. "Allow me to reveal myself!" The Oikawa form Myotismon took on began to tear like cloth, revealing grey metal armor. The fighting stopped as everyone stared at the transformation.

"Look, he's…" Davis couldn't even finish his sentence.

"He's changing!" Cody finished.

"But into Myotismon or VenomMyotismon?" T.K. wondered aloud.

Soon the answer became clear: neither. He still had the vampire's red mask and blonde hair, but now he was more of a cyborg, covered in grey, red, and purple armor. A large pair of what looked like purple wings graced his back, and he had a long armored tail.

"Actually, you can call me MaloMyotismon!" the Mega Level Digimon laughed cruelly.

The DigiDestined gasped. "What kind of freaky Digimon is that?" ExVeemon breathed.

"He's nothing but a deadly, blood-sucking fiend." Gatomon growled. "Nothing is as evil as him!"

Rika scoffed, drawing her sword. "He doesn't look so tough!" She charged into battle, despite Wizardmon shouting for her to come back. The raven-haired girl leaped up and drove her foot down, ready to plant it into MaloMyotismon's face. But the armored vampire Digimon only swung his tail around and smacked Rika aside. The heavy and hard metal made contact and she shouted in pain, flying all the way back to the other DigiDestined and crashing into Sorcermon's and Wizardmon's arms. Everyone stared worriedly as Rika clutched her stomach, whimpering in pain. Wizardmon held her in his arms, Sorcermon casting a quick healing spell.

"Rika, say something!" Wizardmon pleaded.

Rika groaned. "Ouch." She looked up as Sorcermon finished the spell and cracked a smile. "I'm a real idiot, huh?"

Wizardmon smiled softly, helping her to her feet. "Yeah, but you're our idiot."

The DigiDestined jumped at a shout and turned to see MaloMyotismon suddenly grabbed Arukenimon by the throat. "What are you doing?" Arukenimon gasped. "I've been your faithful servant, Master!"

"What do you think I'm doing?" MaloMyotismon asked. "Tell me!"

"I don't know!" Arukenimon cried desperately.

"I think you do!" MaloMyotismon said with a malicious smile. "Show me what you're thinking." He raised his free, clawed hand and suddenly thrust it down to strike the drider woman. Arukenimon screamed in pain. The DigiDestined winced, the children and some of the Digimon shutting their eyes.

"Arukenimon!" Mummymon cried. "What have you done to her?"

"I just did what she was thinking. Now really, is that so wrong?" MaloMyotismon replied simply. He turned to Arukenimon, still clutching her by the throat. "Is it?"

"Please stop!" Arukenimon begged. "Just because I was thinking it doesn't mean I really want it to happen!"

"I love this game." MaloMyotismon spoke in a sinister tone. "So tell me, what do you think I'm going to do next? Think hard now."

"I don't know!" Arukenimon cried. "I don't want to think about it!"

"But you already have." MaloMyotismon said. "And it's a tasty idea." His pointed-end tail came up next, stabbing down into the drider Digimon. Arukenimon let out another agonized scream, making the DigiDestined wince and even whimper a little.

"Arukenimon!" Mummymon hurried to his love. "Don't hurt—" He shouted in pain as MaloMyotismon smacked him to the ground.

"What next?" MaloMyotismon asked Arukenimon. "What shall I do? Show me what you fear."

"Please, no." Arukenimon begged weakly. "Not that!"

"Very well." MaloMyotismon smiled cruelly. What used to look like a shoulder pad connecting his arm to his chest suddenly opened like a mouth, and Arukenimon went right inside. Arukenimon screamed one last time before disintegrating into nothingness.

Sorcermon's eyes stayed wide during the entire ordeal, unable to look away. "Arukenimon…"

"Arukenimon." Mummymon whimpered.

"I'm afraid she's gone to pieces." MaloMyotismon chuckled darkly, looking to Mummymon. "All I did was grant her her wish to get as far away from me as possible. Well she'll never be near me again."

Mummymon glared murderously at the vampire Digimon, tears in his eyes. "You destroyed her! How could you? _Snake Bandage!" _The lengths of linen wrapped around MaloMyotismon, but he easily tore them apart.

"You can't hide your fears either." MaloMyotismon said knowingly. "You think you don't stand a chance against me. And you know what? You're right; you don't!"

"You don't scare me." Mummymon snarled, mournful tears still in his eyes. "You've taken away my Arukenimon. And now I'm going to make you pay for what you did to her!"

MaloMyotismon laughed. "What do you plan to do? Wrap me in another useless Snake Bandage? You scare me even less than these DigiDestined fools from the other world!"

"Then I will teach you to fear me!" Mummymon fired a blast from his gun, but the laser ricocheted off MaloMyotismon's armor and didn't even leave a scratch.

Now the armored vampire looked angry. "Playtime is over! _Crimson Mist!"_

"Mummymon watch out!" Sorcermon shouted. But his warning came too late; a red mist sprouted from MaloMyotismon's armor, surrounding Mummymon and causing him to melt away to nothing, just like Arukenimon. The DigiDestined gasped in horror at the sight.

"Kari, time to Digivolve!" Gatomon urged.

"You can't!" Kari cried.

"Why not?" Gatomon asked, confused.

"I don't want you to be destroyed!" Kari whimpered. Gatomon stared at her in shock. Soon it became clear that many of the DigiDestined children were very shaken up over what they just witnessed, trembling and whimpering.

"Come on, guys!" Davis urged. "It's up to us to stop him!"

"I've never felt like this." T.K. clasped his hands as though he were praying. "I've never been so afraid to fight before."

"Can't someone else fight?" Yolei hugged herself. "Anyone else. Please?"

"This is just a nightmare." Cody clutched his head in his hands. "Soon I'll wake up."

Sorcermon suddenly fell to his knees, staring at the ground. "I wanted revenge against Arukenimon, but I never would've wished for that! That was cruel and terrible! How could he do such a thing? They were faithful to him from day one and he just killed them!"

"Sorcermon, calm down." Wizardmon ordered gently.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Sorcermon shouted. "How can you stay calm after what just happened?"

"Because I've had to live with it before; I'm used to it." Wizardmon snapped.

"Well the rest of us aren't!" Sorcermon snapped back. "We're dead Digimon walking! We can't fight him!"

"What's wrong with you guys?" Davis yelled. "If we think we can't win, then all of us are doomed from the start! We'll win! But we've gotta believe in ourselves!"

"He's right!" ExVeemon agreed. But the other children didn't seem so sure, turning away from Davis. Rika remained still and silent like stone, her eyes locked onto MaloMyotismon. ExVeemon turned to Davis. "Don't worry. I'll fight him all by myself, Davis."

"What?" Davis asked, worried. "But you can't fight alone!"

"Hey!" ExVeemon sounded a little insulted. "Wait a sec! You think I'm gonna lose, don't you?"

Davis looked a little sheepish. "Well, maybe a little."

"Believe in me." ExVeemon pleaded. "You've got to believe that we can defeat him."

Davis's fists clenched. He wouldn't show it, but he also felt a little fear. If he sent in ExVeemon, his best friend, then the dragon Digimon could be seriously hurt or killed. But at the same time, he knew if he _didn't _send him in to fight that even more people and Digimon would be hurt or killed. He had to think about all his friends, his family, the people of the Real World and all the Digimon in the Digital World. They depended on the DigiDestined to fight until they won or die trying. It wasn't a job meant for a child, but it's what they had to do. They were the chosen ones; out of every child in the world, just them.

"Right! Let's fight!" Davis decided. He jumped when someone put a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Rika.

"I'm with you, Davis." Rika said. "I can't believe I said that out loud, but I'm with you until the bitter end." She looked to Wizardmon and Sorcermon. "I'm going to keep fighting, but whatever you guys want to do, I'll support. Whether it's fight or to run."

"Are you kidding?" Wizardmon huffed. "I've been waiting to beat the data out of Myotismon for years. No way am I going to back out now."

Sorcermon slowly rose to his feet. "I'm going to get revenge…this time, _for _Arukenimon and Mummymon. They may have been evil, but they didn't deserve a death like that! We'll be right by your side, ExVeemon!"

"Just imagine it's the last minute of a soccer game and it's you against the goalie!" Davis told the Digimon. "You know what to do, right?"

"Not a clue." ExVeemon admitted.

"Beat the bad guy!" Davis shouted exasperatedly.

"Right!" ExVeemon nodded as he, Wizardmon, and Sorcermon turning to MaloMyotismon. "You don't look so tough!"

"We're not backing down!" Wizardmon declared, he and Sorcermon brandishing their staffs threateningly. "Not now, not ever!"

Stingmon looked to his partner. "Ken, please."

Ken, feeling his fear start to disappear, ran forward and grabbed Davis's arm. "Wait! MaloMyotismon is too powerful for ExVeemon alone. We need to DNA Digivolve, right?"

Davis stared at Ken. "Your hand…..it's shaking."

Ken pulled his hands away, suddenly looking very timid. "I can't help it. I'm afraid."

"Hey, we'll never be able to DNA Digivolve if you're afraid of it, Ken." Davis smiled encouragingly. "Now I've got a bad guy to beat!" Ken opened his mouth to speak, but no legible words came out. "Now don't you say another word, Ken. I know that you're afraid, but you can't give in to it. You can't let fear control you."

The rest of the children still looked plenty frightened, but a hopeful light began to glow in their eyes. "We've gotta hide our fears from MaloMyotismon." T.K. said. "Or he'll use them against us. We've got to."

"Let's get him, ExVeemon!" Davis ordered. "You will win! You must defeat him!"

"We can't let him hurt anyone else!" Rika chimed in. "Go get him!"

ExVeemon, Wizardmon, and Sorcermon charged forward and straight towards MaloMyotismon, the three of them shouting in effort.

The final battle was on.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Just a clarification, Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian abstract artist who lived from 1866-1944. He focused on abstract paintings and, looking through some of his work, I thought they best described the other world everyone ended up in.**


	48. The Last Temptation of the DigiDestined

**Episode 49: The Last Temptation of the DigiDestined**

ExVeemon, Wizardmon, and Sorcermon charged into battle, shouting in effort. ExVeemon reached MaloMyotismon first, ramming into the cyborg vampire but hardly making a dent. The evil Digimon laughed as he grabbed the dragon by his wings and violently threw him to the ground.

"_Crystal Barrage!" _

"_Thunder Ball!"_

Sorcermon launched dozens of the ice shards and Wizardmon flew overhead to throw the stormy energy. But both attacks bounced harmlessly off MaloMyotismon's metal hide, and he grabbed Wizardmon in his tail and threw him into his twin, sending both Majin to the ground like ExVeemon. Davis and Rika glared, but worry flashed in their eyes. The rest of the DigiDestined Digimon and humans stood back, watching fearfully.

"He's too powerful!" T.K. called. "Rika, Davis, let's get out of here before he turns the Digimon into handbags!"

"No! I'll never retreat!" Davis said firmly. "Not as long as there's a fighting chance! I've never quit before, and I'm not gonna start now. As long as ExVeemon is willing to fight, I'm backing him."

"We stand by our Digimon to the very end." Rika added. "Whether they fight or run, we're with them."

ExVeemon, Wizardmon, and Sorcermon shook a little as they rose to their feet. ExVeemon felt anger in his chest as he glared at MaloMyotismon, but Davis's words touched him. "I'll never give up, Davis!"

"Neither will we!" Wizardmon agreed.

"Yeah!" Sorcermon nodded. The three Digimon charged again, only now they started to glow: ExVeemon blue, Wizardmon black, and Sorcermon white. The three of them each threw a powerful punch that actually sent MaloMyotismon back a few feet.

"It's working…" Davis breathed. He smiled broadly. "It's working!"

"Whoo hoo!" Rika cheered.

"_V Laser!" _The powerful blast slammed into MaloMyotismon, pushing him back several feet.

"_Drowning Aquarius!" "Electro Squall!"_

The water and electric attacks combined into one, nailing MaloMyotismon and thoroughly shocking him in more ways than one.

MaloMyotismon growled. "So you want to play hard ball, do you?"

"All right!" Davis cheered. "You go guys! Make him shut that ugly mouth of his!"

ExVeemon, Wizardmon, and Sorcermon prepared another round of attacks, but MaloMyotismon moved first. _"Mental Illusion!"_

A bright white light erupted from MaloMyotismon's eyes, engulfing everyone's sight in the glow.

* * *

><p>T.K. blinked, and suddenly he found himself back in his home. "Hey Mom. Sorry I'm late." He rounded the corner to the dining area and paused at the sight of not only his mother but also his father and brother.<p>

"Hello there, son." Mr. Ishida greeted. "Just in time for dinner! Mom made your favorite."

T.K. stared in surprise, but then smiled warmly as he came to the table. "Wow, it's been a long time since the whole family's been together."

* * *

><p>Yolei blinked and discovered she sat at the dining table back home. Spread out across the table rested several kinds of cakes, cookies, and other sweets. The purple-haired girl's eyes shined with delight.<p>

"Wow! I can't believe it! There must be two dozen different desserts here!" she looked up excitedly to her mother. "Are they all for me?"

Her mother smiled warmly, giving the clear answer.

"They're all for me!" Yolei cheered for herself.

* * *

><p>Cody blinked and found himself walking hand-in-hand with his father through a grassy field full of baby Digimon. The young boy smiled warmly at his father, feeling his chest swell with pride at the sight of the police uniform.<p>

"Dad, this is the Digital World I told you about." Cody explained. "It can be pretty strange at first, but you get used to it." Hiroki didn't respond, only smiling the whole time. "I'd really like to introduce you to some of the Digimon. They may look small, but they're pretty powerful. You should've seen some of the crazy stuff we've been through. I think you'd be proud."

* * *

><p>Kari blinked and a lovely sight met her eyes: a park full of children and Digimon playing together. A smile warm as the sun overhead spread across her lips, and the brunette leaned against the tree she sat under.<p>

"It's so nice." She sighed, glancing over to Gatomon beside her. "Hey, isn't it beautiful?"

"Kari!" the brunette turned to see a mother with her young son, the boy cradling a Nyaromon in his arms. "I was wondering if you could tell me when I could expect Nyaromon to digivolve to Salamon."

"Do you take good care of her?" Kari asked.

"Yeah!" the boy nodded happily. "Of course I do!"

"Don't worry." Kari assured. "As long as you're giving her lots of love, she'll digivolve soon enough."

* * *

><p>Rika blinked and saw sakura trees full of blossoms around her as she walked. "MaloMyotismon! What did you do you overgrown hunk of metal?!" She finally reached a clearing and looked out across the land, noticing Mt. Fuji in the distance. But the people sitting several feet in front of her caught her full attention.<p>

"Mom? Dad? Obāsan, Ojīsan?" Rika gasped.

"Hello sweetheart!" Mrs. Yamada greeted, patting the spot beside her on the picnic blanket.

"Come on and join us." Ojīsan encouraged, pulling food from the nearby picnic basket.

Rika stared in shock, unable to move for several moments. Then she felt someone wrap a comforting arm around her shoulders and jolted her back to the scene. She turned and gasped softly. "Sam?"

"Well come on, Rika." Sam Ichijōji told the girl. "We've been planning this picnic for a week. Your mother and grandmother were cooking all morning."

"But…" Rika found herself quite speechless, unsure how to respond.

Sam chuckled. "Oh what am I thinking? This is no way to greet my girlfriend. I forgot something important." He put a hand to her jaw and tilted it upwards a bit to lock his lips on hers.

Rika tensed up from surprised, but within a nanosecond allowed herself to be immersed completely.

* * *

><p><em>No! I can't let this happen! That MaloMyotismon! He's worse than any other enemy we've fought before. He doesn't care who he hurts as long as he gets what he wants. He destroyed Arukenimon and Mummymon out of pure cruelty. I didn't like them very much, but what reason could he possibly have for killing them like that? Now we might be done for. Ugh, I wish we were stronger! I wish ExVeemon were stronger!<em>

_I want to protect everything and everyone I care about!_

* * *

><p>T.K. dug into his food, listening to his mother tell some sort of joke about a duck and a pharmacy. He smiled at Matt, who returned the gesture as he continued to eat. Mr. Ishida laughed heartily at his wife's joke. T.K. kept on smiling, trying to remember the last time his family came together to eat like this. It could've been quite a few years for all he knew. But it didn't matter now. They were together once again, and nothing could tear them apart.<p>

"T.K."

The blonde boy looked up to discover his Digimon resting on his head. "Hey Patamon? What are you doing here?"

"I came to get you." Patamon said in a somewhat distressed tone. "We need you."

"What?" T.K. asked, a little confused. "But I'm not finished eating dinner."

"None of this is real!" Patamon finally blurted out. "It's an illusion!"

"What're you talking about, Patamon? Look, my family's finally all together." T.K. gasped to see his parents and brother moving away from him. No, _he _was moving from _them. _"Wait a minute! What's happening? Don't go! Patamon, do something! I want them to stay!" But it was too late; the friendly dinner scene and everything around it disappeared to whiteness.

"It's not real!" Patamon repeated.

T.K. paused as everything came back to him. Discovering Myotismon, watching him destroy his henchmen, transforming to MaloMyotismon, that bright light…. "Wait a second. They weren't here at all." His shocked look settled into a determined frown. "MaloMyotismon, you're going to pay."

"There you are, dude!" a familiar face suddenly pushed through the whiteness and appeared before the blonde boy.

"Davis?" T.K. blinked in surprise.

"So are you ready to help me?" Davis asked.

T.K. put on the determined look once more, nodding. He was through with MaloMyotismon. It was unforgiveable when he invaded the Real World four years ago, and to try it again was absolutely unacceptable.

_Time to take him down._

* * *

><p>Yolei moaned in delight as she swallowed another forkful of cake. "This is so good! I know I'm going to get a stomachache and I don't even care!" It was great. She was in Heaven. All these sweets and goodies and they were just for her. No other siblings to compete with and no competition to fight. For once it was all for her, and she couldn't be happier.<p>

"Yolei!"

The preteen turned to see Hawkmon standing on the floor beside her.

"My dear, is this really what you've always wanted?" Hawkmon asked.

"Well of course!" Yolei replied happily. "Dessert is my favorite meal!"

"Do you like not having your brothers and sisters around?" Hawkmon asked with a slightly raised brow.

"Yeah, it means more for me!" Yolei shoved another bite of cake into her mouth, smiling. But as she started to think about it, she began to realize how almost eerily quiet it became in her home. Her mother disappeared to who-knows-where, leaving the purple-haired girl all alone. Nobody to talk to or laugh with or to share all these sweets, which were starting to taste a little sour in her mouth. Yolei's face fell. "Actually, I kind of miss them right now."

"You're always surrounded by your brothers and sisters and you feel like you get passed over." Hawkmon said, noting everything he observed from living with Yolei. "So you've wondered what it would be like if they weren't around. Am I right?"

"You're right." Yolei confirmed. "I guess I always wondered what it would be like to be an only child." She turned to Hawkmon with a determined gaze in her eyes. "But I love my brothers and sisters and I love having them in my life!"

Hawkmon smiled proudly at his human partner, nodding.

Yolei smiled back and knelt down to be more at Hawkmon's eye level. "Thank you, Hawkmon. I guess I was being a really big oinker back there. Sometimes it takes someone to show you things a little more clearly. You're the greatest friend ever!"

Hawkmon felt his cheeks burn at the compliment. "You're making my feathers blush!"

Before their eyes, the scene around them faded to whiteness, and ExVeemon suddenly pushed his way through to them. "Hey guys! We could really use your help!"

Yolei glared in determination, nodding. _Now you're going to get it, MaloMyotismon. For my family._

* * *

><p>Cody never once let go of his father's hand as they walked, right up to the point when they stopped at a cliff and overlooked the land. It was such a wonderful feeling for Cody; to be able to share this beautiful world with his father. Hiroki didn't speak much, but the smile on his face kept Cody going as he talked about everything he experienced from the first moment he came to DigiWorld.<p>

"And that's how we defeated Daemon." Cody finished the story. "Pretty cool, huh?" His father still didn't answer, but Cody didn't really mind.

"Cody."

Cody looked down to the voice. "Armadillomon! I've been looking all over for you! I want you to meet my dad!"

"Cody, I don't think that's your father." Armadillomon said carefully, a sad look in his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Cody scoffed. "He's right here."

"This isn't real." Armadillomon insisted.

"Armadillomon, I think I know my own father when I see him." Cody looked up to Hiroki. "He's just being funny, Dad." Hiroki stared at his son for a moment, and then began walking…..no, _floating _forward. Cody desperately tried to hang onto his father's hand, but the man's fingers slipped right out of his grip and floated away until he disappeared. "No! Wait Dad!" Cody cried. "Don't go!"

"Cody, this is an illusion." Armadillomon said hurriedly, trying to calm his partner.

Cody stared sadly after his father, but he smiled a little. "I can't believe he's gone. He left again."

Armadillomon frowned sadly. He knew how much Cody loved his father, but he could never know just how much pain it caused the boy to think about the day Hiroki died. _I'm so sorry, Cody._

"I never got to share the Digital World with my dad." Cody said, his voice coming out stronger. "I won't make that mistake again. I'm gonna share this world with my mom. I hope she can handle it." He turned to his Digimon. "What do you say about that, Armadillomon?"

The yellow Digimon smiled at the new light in Cody's eyes. "I say it sounds like a winner. Let's go."

Cody gasped softly when the Digi-Egg of Courage suddenly appeared and erupted into flames. When the flames died, the scenery turned white and a familiar dragon stood behind Armadillomon. "Flamedramon!"

"Come on." Flamedramon urged. "Let's go."

"Everyone's waiting for us, Cody." Armadillomon added.

Cody smiled and nodded. _My dad always wanted to see the Digital World. So did Oikawa. I'm going to make sure it's still around so my mom can see it._

* * *

><p>Kari sat on the hillside, looking down over the children and their Digimon. Everything looked so peaceful and happy. Even an oncoming storm couldn't ruin this perfect scene. Gatomon stood beside her partner, staring down at the land. Her face was unreadable.<p>

"Isn't this just wonderful, Gatomon?" Kari sighed happily. "Humans and Digimon playing together without some lunatic trying to destroy it all."

"Yeah, but….." Gatomon started.

Kari looked to her Digimon. "What is it?"

Gatomon sighed quietly. "I hate to break it to you, but this isn't the way things really are."

Kari looked back to the scene before them. "What do you mean? Have you been into the catnip again?" Although now that she thought about it, all those children and Digimon looked very statue-like.

Gatomon put herself in Kari's line of sight. "It's all a big illusion!"

Kari opened her mouth to protest when the scene began to shrink to look like one of Kari's photos, along with numerous other scenes that disappeared to leave only whiteness. The Child of Light's face fell. "You mean none of this is real?" _It was just something MaloMyotismon must've come up with when he hit us with that attack. _Anger flared in Kari's chest and she glared. "What nerve!"

In a flash of blue light, the Digi-Egg of Friendship appeared, and from it a familiar Digimon came forth.

"Raidramon!" Kari gasped.

"Come on, Kari." Raidramon urged. "We need you."

"MaloMyotismon cast a spell over all of the DigiDestined to distract you." Gatomon explained. "Trust me; I know his tricks."

"So then we wouldn't put up a fight." Kari wouldn't admit it out loud, but she would've been happy to stay in the illusion forever. But the fact that MaloMyotismon used her greatest wish against her made the brunette even angrier.

"He's always been lazy." Gatomon huffed. "That's why he needed me. But those days are over. I'm with you now, Kari."

Kari nodded, glaring in determination. _Then this is for you, Gatomon. For everything you endured when you were with Myotismon when you were only trying to find me._

* * *

><p>Rika looked around to each person on the picnic blanket, smiling the entire time. Her mother and grandmother chatted and laughed away; her father and Sam talked about sports; her grandfather ate silently, a warm smile on his face; Wizardmon and Sorcermon sat beside the elderly man, but they were unnaturally quiet. Rika hardly cared, holding Sam's hand and leaning against him a bit. Sam leaned on her as well, smiling.<p>

"You guys aren't talking much." Rika told her Digimon. "What's wrong?"

"Rika, you know none of this is real, right?" Sorcermon said timidly.

"What are you talking about?" Rika laughed. "Sure feels real."

"Rika, this is all an illusion." Wizardmon insisted. "MaloMyotismon is trying to trick you."

"You've gone loopy." Rika waved him off. "MaloMyotismon isn't even here."

"Rika, open your eyes!" Sorcermon snapped, the harsh tone sounding so foreign coming from him.

"Would you just—" Rika gasped when she realized something was pulling her, Wizardmon, and Sorcermon away from the picnic blanket and everyone she loved. "No! No, please don't leave me again! Please come back! Please!" But the scene disappeared to reveal only whiteness.

"Rika, it wasn't real." Wizardmon said softly.

Rika looked down, her fists clenched. "They're gone. They're gone and never coming back. I'll never see them again."

"Not entirely true."

Rika and her Digimon looked up in surprise, gasping at the sight of the Yamada family and Sam standing before them. Sam came up to Rika, smiling softly.

"Sam?" Rika breathed, tentatively reaching a hand out only to pull it back. "Is it really you this time?"

"Yes." Sam nodded. "We're the real ones, not part of MaloMyotismon's illusion. Because we never left you, Rika. We love you so much; no matter where you go, we're always there with you." He touched his chest, where his heart lay. "Right here. Always remember that we'll be right here until the day comes that you join us."

"But that's not happening for a long time now." Mrs. Yamada assured.

"You won't be leaving so soon." Mr. Yamada added. "You've got too much to live for, too many people that care about you, too many battles to face for the safety of the Real and Digital World."

"Starting with that MaloMyotismon character." Obāsan said. "Show him how the Yamada family finishes a fight!"

"Stay strong, and always know you have people there to care about you." Ojīsan said, looking to Wizardmon and Sorcermon. "Always know that your family still lives in your brothers." Sorcermon's chest puffed up a little with pride, happy to know he was truly seen as Rika's brother.

Sam came closer to Rika. "I want you to know that I've always loved you and nobody will replace you in my heart. But someday, you're going to find a guy who will treat you well and love you just as much as I did. And if any guy hurts you in any way, I'll haunt him forever."

Rika shook her head slowly. "No other boy will ever love me like you did, nor will I love them like I loved you. But I promise that I'll move on and keep holding on to everything everyone's ever taught me. I'll keep going, for your sakes if not for mine."

The Yamada family smiled as they disappeared. Sam gently placed a hand on Rika's cheek. "Tell Ken that I always loved him; that I'm sorry for every mean thing I ever did or said. I'm always with him. I'll always be there for both of you." Rika smiled and nodded. Sam smiled back and gave her one final kiss. "I love you, Rika." He whispered as he too disappeared.

"I love you, Sam." Rika whispered, her eyes on the ground.

Sorcermon and Wizardmon stared at the scene, both of them blinking away tears. Rika was still and silent for several tense seconds. "Rika?" Wizardmon asked.

Rika suddenly laughed a little. "You know what? MaloMyotismon is such a wimp. He has no faith in his own strength so he has to use trickery against us." She turned to smile in determination at her Digimon, even with the tears streaming down her cheeks. "You know what that means, right? It means he knows he doesn't stand a chance against us. He's afraid to lose because he knows it'll happen." She wiped her tears away on her sleeve. "If you guys are with me, how about we show him how we do things in our family?"

Without warning and quite suddenly, Sorcermon bopped Rika on the head with the flat of the snowflake on his staff. She yelped in pain, holding the now-sore spot on her skull. "That's one of the stupidest questions I've ever heard." Sorcermon snapped a little. "Of course we're with you! You've been with us from day one, so we will show you a similar kindness."

Rika smiled warmly, putting a fist in front of her. "For our families."

Wizardmon put his hand on top of Rika's. "For our homes."

Sorcermon put his hand on top of the pile. "For everyone that's depending on us."

A bright golden light appeared, causing the three of them to turn and discover the Digi-Egg of Miracles floating in the air. The light grew brighter, and when it died down a golden armored Digimon stood before them.

"Magnamon!" Rika gasped happily.

"We could use your help, Rika." Magnamon said. "You ready?"

Rika's smile grew and she nodded. _This is for everyone. I'm pulling out all the stops, all of my power. I'll show MaloMyotismon that you don't mess with the Guardian DigiDestined, and what it truly means to be a DigiDestined of Darkness._

* * *

><p>Ken blinked, and then blinked again as sand flew into his eyes. He pushed his way through the sandstorm, fighting to see something in the haze. He groaned a little in pain as the harsh grains of sand whipped against the bare skin on his hands and face.<p>

"I think I got sand in my brain!" he grumbled. He paused at the sight of a shadow in the storm. "Wait, there's something up ahead! I hope it's a water fountain." The sandstorm died down to nothing, and Ken could finally see the shadow for what it truly was. Unfortunately, it didn't even resemble water. "What is that thing?" He murmured, staring at the tall pole. "There's a person up there. Wait…" He gasped in horror. "…..it's…it's the Digimon Emperor!"

True enough, Ken's Digimon Emperor persona was tied tightly to the near top of the pole, looking a little worse for wear. Ken stared in shock for only another moment before he sprinted up the sand dune and towards his evil incarnation. _There's no way! It doesn't make any sense! _But the fact that he actually got closer to the pole and the emperor proved that the image was no mirage. Ken skidded to a halt as a group of Digimon appeared around the Digimon Emperor. "Wait, what's going on?" He demanded, knowing he wouldn't even receive an answer from anyone.

"We've come to get some payback!" a Gotsumon shouted at the Digimon Emperor.

"Yeah, for all the pain and suffering you've caused Digimon throughout the Digital World!" a Gizamon added. "Now it's our turn!"

"Maybe you'll understand how helpless we felt when you were the Digimon Emperor!" the Gotsumon snapped, though by his tone it was clear he doubted it. Ken stared in horror, his feet rooted into the ground.

Suddenly, the attacks began. Powerful blasts, shocks of electricity, flying rocks, and so much more bombarded onto the Digimon Emperor, causing him to scream in pain with every blow. Ken couldn't tear his eyes away no matter how much he wanted to. It was like the attacks hit him and not the Digimon Emperor. But he knew that if it really was him up there, the Digimon wouldn't hesitate. Because he _was _the Digimon Emperor. He caused so much pain. He would've deserved this. All that pain and suffering he caused; this was the only suitable punishment for a monster like him.

In a final round of attacks, the Digimon Emperor's glasses suddenly flew off and landed in the sand. The boy emperor disintegrated like a dying Digimon, and soon the attacking Digimon did as well. The darkness faded away into light, but the horrors Ken just witnessed kept flashing before his eyes. He stared at the purple and gold glasses in the sand, and for a terrifying moment he was sure he felt his old whip back in his hand.

Then, someone picked up the glasses and jolted Ken from his trance. He gasped at the sight of the person who now stood before him. Bubbles appeared out of thin air, aimlessly floating around the two brothers. "Wait a second. Sam, I thought you were dead!"

"I've come back to invite you to stay with me here, where you no longer have to suffer for the errors of your past." Sam said soothingly. "Your punishment is over. I'm your brother, trust me."

Ken smiled, feeling tears building up. "I can't get these visions out of my head. If I stay, will you help me?" Sam kept on smiling, and Ken sank to his knees with relief. "Where have you been? I've missed you, Sam." He could already feel his heart become lighter, like the weight of the world became lifted off his shoulders. Surely with his brother's help, everything would work out. He could finally let go.

"Ken, can you hear me?"

Ken blinked and suddenly his Digimon took the place of his brother. "Wormmon? What happened to Sam?"

"He was never really here." Wormmon explained gently.

"But he promised to help me." Ken said with a slight whimper in his tone.

"You can't change your past, Ken." Wormmon said wisely. "You can only change your future."

Slowly, the realization began to dawn on Ken that none of this was truly real. "My brother was an illusion?" The feeling of realization melted into one of anger. "MaloMyotismon." He growled, rising to his feet. "That's it! I'm tired of beating myself up for what happened in the past. I'm _not _the Digimon Emperor anymore. I paid for my mistakes! I know that, and so do all my friends! How dare he use my brother against me? I'm not a tool for darkness anymore! And MaloMyotismon can't change that!"

Wormmon smiled proudly. "You said it!"

"We got your back, Ken!"

Ken noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and turned with a smile. "Davis! T.K.!"

"We're your friends, dude!" Davis assured with a smile. "You can count on us no matter how bad it gets!"

"Davis is right, Ken. We're a team."

More movement, and now Ken saw that Yolei, Hawkmon, and ExVeemon appeared. "Yolei!"

"When one of us falls down, another one of us picks them right up." Yolei said. "That's the way it's supposed to be."

"It's a two-way street, Ken."

Now Kari appeared, Gatomon and Raidramon beside her. "Kari!" Ken breathed happily.

"We're your friends and we need you as much as you need us." Kari said. "Without your experience, I don't know where we'd be."

"She's right, Ken."

Cody, Armadillomon, and Flamedramon came, and Ken could feel pride and true happiness growing inside him. "Cody!"

"But we can't tell you." Cody said. "You have to believe it for yourself."

"We all believe in you, Ken."

It was the icing on the cake when Rika appeared with Sorcermon, Wizardmon, and Magnamon standing with her. "Rika!"

"Sam's gone physically, but he's always with us." Rika put a hand over her heart. "He's right here, always, with both of us. He loves you so much and he believes in you even now. It's your turn to start believing in yourself!"

Ken smiled warmly. "I do believe it!" And this time, he meant it. He would never let the traumas of his past haunt him; he was a new person, and nobody could change that about him.

"We've waited a long time to hear that." T.K. smiled at his friend. Looking at the raven-haired boy now, it was so hard to believe that there was once a time when T.K. actually got into a fistfight with him.

In a flash, the desert area seemed to shatter to pieces to reveal the strange dimension they landed in, MaloMyotismon standing before them.

"Hey handsome!" Davis shouted triumphantly as he ran to stand beside Ken. "It looks like your little magic trick didn't work! We're back!" MaloMyotismon growled a little, but fear flashed briefly in his eyes. "Take him, guys!" Davis ordered, and everyone suddenly realized that he didn't just speak to ExVeemon.

"_Fire Rocket!"_

"_Thunder Blast!"_

"_Magna Blast!"_

"_V Laser!"_

The four attacks nailed their target, sending MaloMyotismon flying backwards. While he landed on his feet, now scorch marks covered his metal hide and he looked very much in pain. Angrier than ever, but still in pain.

Rika hurriedly cleaned her glasses for any possible impurities, but when she put them back on she saw the same thing. "Am I seeing things or did Veemon split into his different Digivolution stages?"

"If you're seeing things, then so are we because I see it too." Wizardmon said. "But how is that possible?

"Check it out, Davis, they really hurt him!" Ken breathed. "But how did ExVeemon split into his four Digivolutions? It doesn't make sense, not even for this crazy place!"

Davis didn't seem to know either. "It was really weird. I was wishing ExVeemon could get stronger and it just happened. MaloMyotismon was making my blood boil. So I wished ExVeemon was strong enough to stop him. Then there was four of him."

"How is that possible?" Cody wondered aloud.

"Somehow in this weird dimension, emotions become a reality." T.K. guessed. "Davis must've tapped into something." _I wonder…. _"Are you ready Patamon?"

"You bet!" the hamster-like Digimon nodded.

T.K. took out his D3, staring at it for a moment. _Focus on your emotions, T.K. What do you want most right now? _The Child of Hope folded his hands around the Digivice. "I don't want the powers to darkness to hurt any of my friends." A bright green glow emitted from his D3.

"_Patamon Armor Digivolve to…Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!"_

"_Angemon Digivolve to….MagnaAngemon!"_

"_Patamon Digivolve to…..Angemon!"_

"_Patamon Warp Digivolve to…Seraphimon!"_

MaloMyotismon's eyes widened a bit. "What's this?!"

"_Hand of Fate!"_

"_Star Shower!"_

"_Strike of the Seven Stars!"_

The three attacks each hit MaloMyotismon, one after another, and MagnaAngemon flew forward to strike the vampire Digimon with his sword. MaloMyotismon still stood, though, looking even angrier.

Yolei took out her D3. "Hawkmon, are you ready for some action?"

"Indubitably." Hawkmon agreed.

Yolei folded her hands over her D3. "We are strong. We are strong. We are strong!" A bright red glow shot from her hands.

"_Hawkmon Armor Digivolve to…Shurimon, the Samurai of Sincerity!"_

"_Hawkmon Digivolve to…..Aquilamon!"_

"_Hawkmon Armor Digivolve to….Halsemon, the Wings of Love!"_

The three of them charged forward, undeterred by MaloMyotismon's furious growl.

"_Blast Rings!"_

"_Tempest Wing!"_

"_Double Star!"_

The attacks met their mark, pushing the vampire Digimon back even farther. Soon the pain became even more evident and dents appeared in his metal armor.

"Ready to join the party?" Cody asked his Digimon.

"That's a great idea!" Armadillomon agreed.

Cody folded his hands over his D3. "I want MaloMyotismon to be stopped before he can hurt any more Digimon." A bright yellow glow came from his Digivice.

"_Armadillomon Armor Digivolve to….Submarimon, the Reliable Guardian of the Sea!"_

"_Armadillomon Digivolve to….Ankylomon!"_

"_Armadillomon Armor Digivolve to…Digmon, the Drill of Knowledge!"_

By now, perhaps MaloMyotismon should've started running or trying to fight back. But he was too shocked from the impact of the other attacks to send his own and his own pure stubbornness prevented him from running away.

"_Gold Rush!"_

"_Oxygen Torpedo!"_

"_Tail Hammer!"_

The first two attacks slammed into MaloMyotismon, giving Ankylomon the cover he needed to swing his mace-like tail around and leave a noticeable dent in the vampire's armor. MaloMyotismon flew backwards ever farther still, but this time he actually came back towards his opponents.

"It's our turn!" Kari turned to Gatomon.

"It'll be my pleasure!" the white cat assured.

Kari folded her hands over her D3. "The future of both worlds depends on us. MaloMyotismon must be stopped!" A bright pink glow emitted from her Digivice.

"_Gatomon Digivolve to….Angewomon!"_

"_Gatomon Armor Digivolve to…Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"_

"_Angewomon Digivolve to…..Magnadramon!"_

"_Gatomon Warp Digivolve to…Ophanimon!"_

The sight of the four angels made MaloMyotismon cringe with disgust and a little fear, and he hardly had time to react before the attacks came.

"_Rosetta Stone!"_

"_Celestial Arrow!"_

"_Fire Tornado!"_

"_Sefirot Crystal!"_

If the other attacks did as much damage as they did, then these ones full of light and love had a cataclysmic effect. MaloMyotismon actually shouted in immense pain.

"It's your turn, guys!" Rika called.

"Let's do this!" Wizardmon nodded.

"Ready when you are!" Sorcermon chimed in.

Rika folded her hands over her Digivice. "I already lost one family to MaloMyotismon. I don't want to lose another one!" A bright black-and-white-colored light erupted from her Digivice.

"_Wizardmon Digivolve to…Baalmon!"_

"_Wizardmon Armor Digivolve to….Dynasmon, the Angel of Darkness!"_

"_Wizardmon Warp Digivolve to…..Beelzemon!"_

"_Sorcermon Digivolve to…..Wisemon!"_

Rika's eyes lit up with joy. "Sorcermon! You digivolved to Ultimate!"

"Now _that's _what I'm talking about." Wisemon smirked, though nobody could really tell.

MaloMyotismon's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. "What?! No!"

"_Guiltish!"_

"_Breath of Wyvern!"_

"_Oblivion Cannon!"_

"_Eternal Nirvana!"_

The four powerful blows hit MaloMyotismon, causing so much more damage he screamed even louder.

"Rika, let's bring out the Angels." Kari urged.

"You think so?" Rika asked with a smile. Kari nodded, and the girls focused on their powers. In seconds, a pair of angel wings appeared on their backs, white and black, and their Digimon began to glow.

The DigiDestined of Light and the Guardian DigiDestined of Darkness spoke at once, all of their Digimon included. "We call upon the Angels of Light and Darkness. That they may help us defeat this monster and send him back to where he came!"

Wizardmon and Gatomon's Digivolutions all began to glow with black and white lights, and the Angel of Light and the Angel of Darkness appeared in the air. The two spirits shot forward, slamming into MaloMyotismon and causing him to scream in agony. The dual attack caused so much damage that Rika began to wonder why he was destroyed already. After suffering so many attacks, he should've been deleted long ago. Internally, it made her a little fearful to realize that after all this damage the vampire still stood.

Ken seemed to notice too, and decided to give it one more blow. "Are you ready, pal?" he looked to Wormmon.

"I'm ready." The green caterpillar nodded. "Let's do it!"

"_Wormmon Digivolve to…Stingmon!"_

"_Spiking Strike!"_

He stabbed MaloMyotismon right in the chest, forcing him back a few feet before Stingmon darted away and back to his friends. The vampire Digimon groaned in pain, falling to one knee. He glared at the DigiDestined children, but his vision blurred a bit.

"So, you've tapped into this dimension's power." He mused. "I underestimated you insects. But did you think your ridiculous Digi-rats could hurt me?" He shakily stood back up again, growling. "Well you were wrong! And now it's my turn, kiddies! _Crimson Mist!"_

The DigiDestined refused to back down.

"_Ankylomon…Angemon….DNA Digivolve to…..Shakkoumon!"_

MaloMyotismon reeled back a bit to see his deadly mist attack absorbed within what looked like a living, white and gold teapot. But it was far from over.

"_Aquilamon…Gatomon…DNA Digivolve to…..Silphymon!"_

"_Static Force!"_

The hybrid's signature attack packed more of a punch this time, causing MaloMyotismon to shout in pain and stumble a bit.

"_Wizardmon…..Sorcermon…DNA Digivolve to…Baihumon!"_

The sight of the Sovereign Digimon alone should've sent MaloMyotismon either running for his life or on his knees begging for mercy. Instead, he actually lunged towards the tiger in hopes of landing an attack.

"_Kongou!"_

The blast knocked MaloMyotismon back to his previous spot, and it was a wonder how he could still be standing up.

"_ExVeemon….Stingmon…DNA Digivolve to…Paildramon!"_

"_Desperado Blaster!"_

The shower of lasers finally pushed MaloMyotismon to his knees, and he didn't rise again as he fought back the pain. He wheezed and gasped a bit, unable to remember the last time he felt such agony. Even being destroyed by Angewomon years ago didn't hurt so badly.

"We got him on the ropes!" Davis called. "Let's finish this guy off!"

"_Paildramon Mega Digivolve to…..Imperialdramon!"_

"It's over, MaloMyotismon!" Ken shouted.

"_Imperialdramon Mode Change to….Fighter Mode!"_

Suddenly, MaloMyotismon became aware of just how many opponents stood before him. Every Digivolution stage of every DigiDestined Digimon, even the Angel of Light and Angel of Darkness, standing before him and ready to finish the job. MaloMyotismon hadn't felt so small since his days as a Baby Level Digimon.

"Take a look around you!" Davis shouted. "You're outmatched! Every Digimon here wants a piece of you, and I doubt you can fight them all. I suggest you surrender!"

"I see it, but I don't believe it." Cody breathed in awe. "This totally defies every single law of science!"

"Since when did science really matter in situations like this?" Rika scoffed. "But even I have to admit that with everything I've seen in the DigiWorld, I never knew something like this to be possible!"

"I know." Kari agreed. "But somehow Davis refusing to give up even when MaloMyotismon had us beat created some kind of force that somehow made all this crazy stuff possible."

"I had to admit it: Davis really rules." Yolei breathed. "I never would've thought his bull-headedness would cause something so cool!"

"Tell me about it." T.K. agreed.

MaloMyotismon seemed to be equally as surprised, staring at Davis. "I must admit, I am impressed by your tenacity."

"Wait until you see my bull-headedness!" Davis taunted.

"I'm curious to know why my Mind Illusion wasn't affected against you." MaloMyotismon mused. "How can it be that you have no insecurities or unhappiness for it to feed off of?"

"What do I have to worry about?" Davis scoffed. "I've got my friends, my family, and the Digimon. Besides some guy with a letter opener on his face trying to kill me, I'm happy to say I don't have any problems!"

"Impossible!" MaloMyotismon growled. "There's not a single child in the world that doesn't have _something _they're worried about!"

"Well you just met one!" Davis said. "Congratulations, Big and Ugly, I guess you should go back to your magic act! Now if we're through chit-chatting, I'd like to get back to the part where we put you away! I'm sick of monsters like you always trying to take over the world. It's over! We're not going to let you hurt any more people!" It was finally over. Just one more shot, and everything they worked for all these months will be worth it. "All right you guys, let him have it!"

"_Positron Laser!"_

Twin laser attacks, one from Imperialdramon and the other from his Fighter Mode, slammed into MaloMyotismon, pushing him back farther and farther until there was a great explosion and a cloud of dust erupted in the spot he once stood in.

"What a shot!" Davis cheered. Everyone else, DigiDestined and even the Dark Spore children, whooped and cheered as well, relieved it was finally over and done with. They won. They beat MaloMyotismon. They saved the Digital World and the Real World. They were heroes.

Rika noticed something out of place before anyone else. "Hey wait a minute! What's that?"

Everyone followed her point to discover a large hole in the wall, or at least what they thought was the wall in this crazy dimension. On the other side of the hole rested a familiar-looking area shrouded in what they assumed was the darkness of night. Feeling a little panic, the DigiDestined hurried forward and through the hole.

"He went right through the wall!" Davis gasped.

"I thought he'd go through two walls with that shot!" Imperialdramon said.

The kids suddenly paused and looked down, finding themselves in very different clothes than the winter gear they previously had on. In fact, they were the exact same clothes they always had on every time they entered the Digital World. Kari's and Rika's wings disappeared, but the Angels of Light and Darkness remained.

"Wait, where are we, guys?" Davis asked no one in particular.

"It looks like we're all back in the Digital World." Cody guessed.

"All the other Digimon disappeared." T.K. noted, causing everyone to turn and see that only Imperialdramon Fighter Mode, Shakkoumon, Silphymon, and Baihumon stood behind them with the Angels' spirits. "It's back to normal. If you call this normal."

"With our lives, this is normal." Rika sighed. Then she blinked in realization. "Wait a minute. If we managed to blow a hole through that world into this one, then…."

"Hey, where's MaloMyotismon?" Ken finished Rika's thought. A deep, evil laughter resonated through the air, and the DigiDestined gasped at the sight of MaloMyotismon looking renewed and completely healed, as though he didn't just suffer numerous attacks.

"Children!" MaloMyotismon called. "Were you looking for me? Thank you for sending me into the Digital World, where I am most powerful. You foolish children played right into my hands!"

"No way!" Davis growled. _How is this possible? We were so close! We almost beat him but now he's even stronger! We'll have to start all over again, and this time without the other Digimon!_

MaloMyotismon suddenly laughed evilly again, the sound echoing off the walls of the canyon they stood in. Clouds of black dust began swirling towards him, and he began to grow greatly in size. Kari suddenly screamed, holding her head. Everyone turned to stare worriedly, noticing how Rika mimicked Kari and squeezed her eyes shut as though she were in great pain.

"The darkness!" Kari whimpered. "I can feel it! It's coming!"

"I feel it too!" Rika groaned in pain. "What's he doing?"

MaloMyotismon kept growing until the dust stopped coming and he stood just as tall as Imperialdramon. He began advancing towards them, ready to kill them all. "Come on, guys!" Imperialdramon urged. "It's now or never!"

"Let's try now!" Baihumon snarled, leading the charge as the hybrid Digimon lunged for the evil Digimon.

"Watch and learn." MaloMyotismon sneered, his mouth-like shoulder pads opening. Spheres of dark energy appeared in the mouths, shooting out towards the DigiDestined Digimon. The spheres made contact, and the hybrids shouted in pain. They all hit the ground hard, fighting but failing to rise again. Their human partners stared in horror at the sight. Their Digimon, who once fought so valiantly and were winning, suddenly beaten down after a single blow. The Angel of Light and Angel of Darkness screeched as though in pain, and suddenly disappeared as their host Digimon hit the ground.

"Oops." MaloMyotismon teased. "I think I broke you're friends. It's a shame they won't be conscious to witness my most triumphant moment. Now, behold my power!" He raised his hands to the sky, and streams of black energy shot up into the sky. A hole appeared, revealing a familiar-looking planet that soon started to become covered in blackness.

"He…..ripped open a hole in the Digital World!" Cody gasped.

"It looks like it leads right into the Real World!" Yolei gulped a little. "His power is starting to spread over the entire planet!"

"I knew it!" Ken growled. "It's been his plan all along to get both worlds!"

"It's remarkable how slow you are, Ken." MaloMyotismon sneered. "Did you think I could be satisfied ruling only the Digital World? With both realms shrouded in the power of my darkness, I will rule both human and Digimon alike and there will be no one to stop me!"

"Not while I'm here!" Davis shouted.

"When we fought him four years ago, he said the exact same thing!" Kari said. "Looks like he hasn't changed at all since then."

"Well he's a lot more powerful, that's for sure." T.K. groaned a little. "And he's a lot crazier than the last time we all fought him!"

Rika began trembling, but this time out of pure rage. "No. No, this can't be happening." She glared at MaloMyotismon with pure hatred in her eyes. "I may have been born in the Real World, but I spent much more of my life in the Digital World. Both worlds are my home. MaloMyotismon!" The vampire looked down to Rika, the sneer still on his face. Rika still glared hard. "You killed my family; you threatened my friends; you made my Digimon your slave and tortured him; you caused so much pain and still you want more!" She could feel her anger building up more and more until finally it exploded. _"I hate you!"_

Everyone jumped in surprise at the sight of Rika's Crests glowing brightly, enveloping the raven-haired girl in a black and white aura. She marched forward towards MaloMyotismon, the hatred never leaving her eyes. "Rika, what are you doing?" Davis asked a little worriedly.

"I'm going to stop him." Rika said simply. "I'm not giving up; he'll never hurt anyone else."

By then, the hybrid Digimon began to regain their consciousness, and when they saw what was happening they fought harder to get up and stop her. "No…." Wizardmon's voice came out weakly from Baihumon. "No, Rika….please…"

"Let her go." Sorcermon's voice suddenly said, thoroughly shocking everyone including Rika herself. "We need to let her do this. She may be our only chance."

"But she could get hurt!" Imperialdramon protested.

"We can't let her put herself in danger like this!" Wizardmon's voice added.

"Don't you all get it?" Sorcermon's voice said. "She and every other DigiDestined child could've gotten hurt at any moment during every single one of our battles. But that didn't stop them; they're the DigiDestined. They're the saviors of our world and we need them. Without them, where would we all be? Kari and Rika are different from other DigiDestined, remember? They can take the light and darkness around them and turn it into a weapon, a weapon to use against enemies like MaloMyotismon. There's not a single speck of light around for Kari to use right now, so we need to fight fire with fire! We use the powers of darkness to fight MaloMyotismon's darkness. We do that, we can win this fight! But we have to be willing to trust Rika and believe in her. She's the Guardian DigiDestined, after all; it's her job to protect us. We have to trust that she knows what she's doing."

"But she might get hurt." Wizardmon's voice murmured.

"You have to let go of your fear, Wizardmon." Sorcermon's voice ordered gently. "She's much stronger than you give her credit for."

Wizardmon thought about it for a moment, and he soon realized how right Sorcermon was. All this time, he had been so afraid to lose Rika that he didn't want her to be in any danger whatsoever. But she always had this special power within her; a power only Kari could match. Because they were different from other DigiDestined, different from other children.

They were two very special girls.

Baihumon shakily stood up from his spot, looking down to his human partner. "We're with you, Rika." The white tiger said. "Every step of the way, we're there for you."

"We believe in you, Rika!" Kari called, making the rest of the DigiDestined jump a little. "There were so many times we should've trusted you but we didn't, like when you tried to befriend BlackWarGreymon! We didn't trust you then but we do now! We know you can do it!"

"Kick his digital tail to the next century, Rika!" Ken chimed in. "Show him what it means to rule the darkness!"

"We're right behind you!" T.K. shouted. "You can do anything because we believe in you and trust you! Do it!" The rest of the DigiDestined and their Digimon voiced their agreements, and Rika smiled softly.

"Thanks guys." Rika sighed. She glared at MaloMyotismon again, advancing towards him once more.

MaloMyotismon laughed evilly, lowering his arms and stopping the darkness from flowing to the Real World. "Very well. If you would like to die first, I'll humor you. Go on; give it your best shot."

The dark aura around Rika seemed to grow and get stronger. Rika focused all her energy in what she was about to do. "By the powers of darkness, the powers that obey only me, I summon the power of Apocalymon!"

Everyone gasped a bit, even MaloMyotismon, at the name of the terrible Digimon that almost destroyed the world. But the DigiDestined trusted that Rika knew what she was doing, and they didn't say a word. But they became a little worried when the dark aura around Rika grew in size to form the shadow of Apocalymon. Rika floated many feet off the ground to rest within the shadow's chest, at eye level with MaloMyotismon.

The vampire laughed evilly. "You fool! What makes you think you can defeat me with a Digimon almost as evil as myself?"

"I only asked for the power of Apocalymon." Rika reminded him. "Because now that I have his abilities, I can do this!" She glared hard, her eyes beginning to glow with blackness. _"Magical Game!"_

Out of one of the Apocalymon shadow's claws sprouted forth the blue lightning attack, which nailed MaloMyotismon in the face. He shouted in pain, clutching the now-burning area.

"How did she do that?" Cody breathed.

"Of course!" T.K. remembered. "When Apocalymon attacked us four years ago, he was able to take the attacks of our past enemies and use them against us, like Machinedramon's Giga Cannon or Myotismon's Crimson Lightning." He smiled warmly. "And now Rika can use the attacks of our Digimon to beat him!"

"This doesn't seem possible, but at this point anything could be possible!" Cody breathed.

"You go Rika!" Yolei cheered.

MaloMyotismon lunged for Rika, but the raven-haired girl sent more Digimon attacks, one after another, relentlessly.

"_Thunder Ball! Crystal Barrage! Hand of Fate! Tail Hammer! Celestial Arrow! Blast Rings! Spiking Strike! V Laser! Justice Beams! Static Force! Positron Laser! Kongou!"_

MaloMyotismon shouted in pain as each attack met their mark, and he could feel his strength beginning to diminish. The attacks kept coming, not stopping for even a split-second. He stumbled a bit, swaying a bit and almost falling.

"And now, Myotismon, so that we match." Rika touched her chest, tracing the scar that ran from her shoulder to midriff. _"Crimson Lightning!"_

The blood red whip shot forward, striking MaloMyotismon in the chest and leaving a scratch identical to Rika's scar. The cyborg vampire growled. "All right! Now I'm angry! You think you can stop me so easily?"

"I never expect it to be easy." Rika replied coolly. "But I _will_ beat you!"

"You will try!" MaloMyotismon laughed. _"Screaming Darkness!"_

The orbs of dark energy appeared again, flying straight towards not Rika but the hybrid Digimon still on the ground around her. Out of pure instinct, Rika moved forward to protect them. Kari noticed and gasped in realization. "Rika wait!"

"_Gate of Destiny!" _Rika pushed the circular gate forward, absorbing the attacks to save her friends. But when the gate disappeared, she didn't have time to react to the spear-like shots of darkness coming at her. The blades of black shot into the Apocalymon shadow and into Rika herself, halting any more attacks that would've come. The DigiDestined children gasped in horror as Rika's form suddenly became very limp, with only the black blades keeping her in the air as the Apocalymon shadow disappeared. The DigiDestined Digimon shouted in terror. MaloMyotismon chuckled darkly, bringing Rika over to him and clutching the limp girl in his claws. The black lines disappeared, back inside the vampire.

"It's quite a shame." MaloMyotismon sounded sincere. "You were actually worthy of controlling the darkness. Not to mention the fact that you were the only DigiDestined brat I didn't despise." He chuckled again as he threw Rika aside. Silphymon shot up and wrapped its arms around Rika, cushioning her fall as they landed in front of the DigiDestined.

Ken got to Rika's side before anyone else and knelt down beside her, taking the raven-haired girl into his arms. "Rika! Rika, speak to me! Please say something!" But the DigiDestined girl remained silent, her eyes wide but empty of all life. Her mouth hung open a little. It was terrifyingly difficult to tell if she was still alive. Her friends stared in horror, feeling the hope within them begin to fall apart.

MaloMyotismon laughed evilly, resuming his work in covering the Real World in his darkness. "She was the first to fall! As will all who try to oppose me!"

T.K. glared at MaloMyotismon, tears forming in his eyes. "You monster. We'll stop you!"

"Come on, guys!" Davis urged. "There's got to be _some_ way to take this guy out! There are billions of humans and Digimon counting on us!"

"But Davis, what can we do?" Kari demanded in an almost hopeless tone. "Rika's hurt and maybe dead, and the darkness is spreading so quickly! It'll take a miracle to stop him now!"

_Kari's right. _Davis growled a little, clenching his fists in anger and frustration. _But where can I find a miracle?!_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I did make some slight adjustments to some of the Digivolutions earlier. I just loved Magnamon and thought he deserved to be in the battle. And I figured since I featured Ophanimon once before I should do it again. I also included Seraphimon and Magnadramon from the movie because I just love them so much. Besides, MaloMyotismon totally deserves the butt whooping from them.**


	49. A Million Points of Light

**Episode 50: A Million Points of Light**

The chill in the air sent shivers up everyone's spines despite their heavy, warm winter gear. Or perhaps it was their fears sending the shivers. After all, dark clouds completely cloaked the moon and stars from view. Very soon it became clear that these clouds were by no means ordinary. It only made the original DigiDestined move faster. Tai, Matt, Sora, Izzy, and Joe tried to look calm, but every step made the knot in their stomachs tighten. The DigiDestined families followed close behind, Noriko and her parents accompanying them.

_It's so dark. _Tai thought as he led the way. _And it'll be like this forever if we can't stop MaloMyotismon. No. I can't give up hope. I have too many people depending on me. Depending on all of us. Things must be getting pretty desperate. Yet somehow Kari was able to email me what was going on. _Tai's grip tightened around the flashlight he held. It felt like mere seconds ago that his sister told him what happened, including Rika's death. They had to find a way to help, even if they couldn't get to the Digital World. _No. No thinking like that. _Tai reminded himself. _Keep up hope. It's what everyone needs right now. It's what Rika would've wanted._

* * *

><p>The DigiDestined could only stand there, watching MaloMyotismon continue to cover their world in his dark powers. They desperately tried to think of a way to stop him, but not even a piece of a plan came up. Kari glanced back at Rika, lying motionless on the ground behind them. <em>We can't give up. Not yet! But what can we do?<em>

"Soon the two worlds will unite in darkness!" MaloMyotismon laughed evilly. "Then they shall both be mine!"

Imperialdramon growled as he shakily rose to his feet. "That's never going to happen!"

"And why not?" MaloMyotismon demanded.

"'Cause we're gonna stop you!" Shakkoumon shouted, also rising.

"Once and for all!" Silphymon added as the hybrid followed suit.

"We'll make you pay for what you've done!" Baihumon roared.

"You fools!" MaloMyotismon scoffed. "You think you can defeat _me?_ Your pitiful light is no match for my darkness! Even now, it consumes the world!"

"Not for long!" Davis snapped. "Get 'im!"

"_Positron Laser!" _Imperialdramon fired the cannon.

"_Screaming Darkness!" _the same black energy shot from his shoulder pad, deflecting Imperialdramon's blow and the blast sending everyone to the ground with ease.

Over at the hole between DigiWorld and the strange dimension, the Dark Spore children could only watch the battle with horror and sadness.

"They're losing." The young boy in the turquoise jacket said sadly.

"And it's all our fault." said an older boy in a blue jacket.

"Thanks to us, the Digital World and the Real World are going to be covered in darkness." A girl in a yellow jacket sighed.

"You foolish DigiDestined!" MaloMyotismon laughed. "Watch closely now! Your world is being consumed by eternal night!"

The DigiDestined children pushed themselves to their feet, glaring at their enemy. "You'll never win!" Ken shouted. "Even if you defeat us, others will rise up against you!"

"Who could possibly beat _him_?" the young boy asked.

"I just wanna go home." The girl whimpered.

The older boy turned and sat on the ground, curling into a ball. "Why bother? There's no point. I don't think any of us have a home to go home to anymore."

"Yeah." The younger boy sighed as the rest of the children followed the older boy's example. "There's no point to anything anymore."

Ken whipped around and focused his angered glare on the Dark Spore children. "Hey! Quit talking like that!"

"Why?" The older boy scoffed. "It's all true, isn't it? There's nothing any of us can do to win."

"He's right." The younger boy agreed. "There's no point in trying. The only thing we'll do is fail. He beat us. It's just that simple."

"No he hasn't!" Davis shouted. "But he _will _beat us if you give up! Just because things look bad, that's no reason not to try!"

"I don't know." the girl whimpered again.

"Well I do!" Davis snapped. "So quit sitting there like a bunch of sad sacks and let's beat this guy!"

"But what can we do?" the younger boy demanded sadly. "He's already defeated us once. Don't you see that girl? She's dead because he's just too powerful for us to beat."

"You're right." The older boy sighed. "It's hopeless."

"In mere moments, both worlds will be mine!" MaloMyotismon laughed.

"Not while we're here!" Baihumon snarled, charging right for MaloMyotismon. But another round of Screaming Darkness sent the white tiger right back to his previous spot. The DNA Digivolved Digimon snarled, ready to jump in again and fight.

_We have to find a way to beat this guy! _Sorcermon thought.

_Yeah, now the only question is how? _Wizardmon pointed out.

_We can't give up hope!_

_Hope can only get us so far. We need a real plan, a real way to beat him, or we're doomed!_

* * *

><p>Finally, they arrived. The area stirred much nostalgia in the original DigiDestined; now if only it weren't so dark out.<p>

"The darkness is strong here, too." Matt noted grimly.

"I know." Tai said solemnly. "But if we want to get back to the Digital World, this is our only way. It might be the only chance for all of us, and both worlds. For everything."

"But we don't have any idea if this gate is going to open." Joe reminded them.

"With the gate in Tokyo sealed by BlackWarGreymon, this is the closest one." Izzy said, trying to find the gate through his laptop. "I know he was trying to help us protect the Digital World. I think he may have done more harm than good if we can't get back there. It looks like we have no choice but to give it a try and hope for the best."

"This is the place where we first went to the Digital World. Maybe that's a good sign." Sora said hopefully.

"Well, this had better work." Joe glanced back to the Dark Spore child that accompanied them. "We have to get Noriko to Oikawa as soon as possible."

"Tell me, what's going to happen to my daughter if you don't?" Noriko's father asked worriedly.

"Don't worry." Joe assured. "She'll be fine."

The man still looked worried, and for good reason. "But—"

"She'll be okay, I promise." One of Joe's brothers assured.

The man sighed silently. "All right. We trust you."

Sora tried to keep a hopeful attitude, but she could feel doubt creeping up on them. _Am I the only one who's worried we won't be able to save her? That we won't be able to save everything?_

"Tai, we have to get to the Digital World." Agumon urged. "Before it's too late!"

"I know." Tai murmured. "Hey, I've got an idea!" He pointed his Digivice to the open air. "Digi-port, open! Please?" Unfortunately, nothing happened.

"I guess our parents were wrong." Matt joked softly. "That's not the magic word after all."

"This is bad, guys." Joe groaned. "What are we going to do? This could be the end of everything!"

The reality of it all hit everyone like a rock to the stomach. What were the odds they'd even survive this night? And if they did, what horrors awaited them with MaloMyotismon ruling their world? No light offered them hope. Would they ever see the sun again? Or the moon and stars for that matter? And where were the other DigiDestined? Were they even still alive?

What could go wrong next?

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Izzy piped up. "Look at this!"

"More bad news?" Joe asked worriedly.

"Gates are opening all over the world!" Izzy gasped, staring at his computer screen. The other DigiDestined gathered around to see a map of the world with dozens of red dots blinking rapidly across it. "Look you guys! It's lighting up like a modem router in full pulse mode!"

"Well if that looks like a Christmas tree lighting up, I'd have to agree with you." Matt said.

"Look!" Sora cried, pointing upwards. "The light from the gates is cutting through MaloMyotismon's darkness!"

"It must be coming from Digivices all over the planet!" Izzy realized.

Izzy was right; more right than he ever could have been. Mimi stood with her friends in New York; the Poi Brothers gathered in Hong Kong; Derek in Australia; Catherine in France; Rosa in Mexico; along with every other DigiDestined child in the entire world. All of them held their Digivices to the sky and the holy light easily broke through the darkness.

"Just think." Matt sighed in awe. "Millions of kids are banding together to take a stand against MaloMyotismon right now! It doesn't matter where they're from or what language they speak; they all knew they had to unite against the darkness, had to fight it no matter how futile it may have seemed."

"I knew that MaloMyotismon couldn't win that easily!" Tai smiled triumphantly. "The whole world's fighting him!"

* * *

><p>MaloMyotismon hadn't moved at all in several minutes, save for his mouth running a mile a minute. "My power over both of the worlds is growing stronger! And now there's nothing that can stand against me!"<p>

"_Positron Laser!"_

"_Static Force!"_

"_Justice Beams!"_

"_Kongou!"_

MaloMyotismon hardly flinched. _"Screaming Darkness!" _Not only did the force field of dark energy deflect the blasts, it sent the attacks right back at their casters and forced the DigiDestined Digimon to the ground once more.

"Why do they bother trying to fight him?" the young boy asked sullenly. "There's just nothing that they can do that will defeat him."

"They should know it's all pointless by now." the older boy sighed.

"Maybe we could help if we were the DigiDestined." The girl said. "But we were only chosen by Oikawa."

"It's hopeless." The Dark Spore children sighed collectively.

"It's not hopeless!" Ken snapped. "We can't give up now!"

"I don't see why giving up is such a bad idea." MaloMyotismon taunted. "After all, if your precious little Rika gave up when she had the chance, she'd still be alive. But like a fool, she tried to fight me. Just like how Wizardmon tried to fight me to save her foolish little family. They all deserved to die!"

"Just shut up!" Davis screamed, practically seething with rage. "How dare you talk about Rika like that? Sure she's tough and overbearing and sometimes she's violent with an attitude! But she's still our friend and she's the DigiDestined of Darkness and Guardian DigiDestined! She's not dead! She has too much to live for and we're not going to let her go!"

MaloMyotismon laughed evilly, but something suddenly caught him off guard. It certainly surprised the DigiDestined when heart-shaped bubbles appeared out of nowhere and began floating towards their Digimon. As the bubbles popped, the DigiDestined Digimon suddenly felt their strength begin to return to them.

A familiar pink fairy appeared, giggling a little as he floated amongst the DigiDestined. "MarineAngemon!" Yolei gasped.

The small Mega floated over to the motionless Rika, blowing the heart bubbles towards her. They merged together to create one large bubble that completely encased the raven-haired girl, lifting her off the ground. Rika's eyes slid closed, a peaceful look coming to her face. Suddenly, she coughed violently and the bubble popped. Kari hurried forward to support Rika as she landed. Though she stayed on her feet, Rika felt her leg muscles were made of jelly.

"Rika?" Kari asked hopefully. "You okay?"

Rika shakily put all her weight on her own feet, and found she could actually stand. Her eyes blinked open, but she stared at the ground sadly. "I'm sorry, Kari. I tried to stop him but I wasn't strong enough."

"You kidding?" Kari smiled warmly. "You're the reason we kept fighting. You not giving up is why we're not giving up."

Rika allowed a smile to appear on her face. Then she noticed something. "MarineAngemon? What are you doing here?"

"We're here to help!" MarineAngemon cheered.

"'We'?" Rika repeated. MarineAngemon only laughed and flew up to the tops of the canyon cliffs. The DigiDestined looked up and gasped in awe at the shadows that stood and flew above them.

"Hey MaloMyotismon!" FlameWizardmon shouted. "Surprise, ya blood-sucking freak!"

Wizardmon mentally sighed. _Yep. That's my brother all right._

"So many Digimon!" Cody breathed.

"I hope we don't have to feed them all." Davis said half-seriously.

"There must be hundreds." Yolei gasped.

There looked to be at least one of every kind of Digimon in the Digital World. All of the DigiDestined's friends, the DigiDestined Digimon, and many others that nobody really knew. FlameWizardmon stood with the entire village of Witchenly behind him, a Salamon standing beside him.

_Hello my little imp._

Baihumon's head jerked up to the Salamon, who winked at him with her crystal blue eyes.

"The light from the Digivices guided us!" Gabumon called to the DigiDestined. "It led us all here!"

"It's great!" Gomamon chimed in. "The partner Digimon of the DigiDestined from all over the world are gathering!"

"We can't allow you to destroy our worlds!" Biyomon shouted at MaloMyotismon.

"Yeah, you think you can bully us?" Tentomon goaded. "Well put up your dukes!"

"You've made a crucial mistake, MaloMyotismon!" Salamon shouted.

"By going through with your plans to take over these worlds, you have made quite a few enemies!" FlameWizardmon called. "In fact, you've made the entire DigiWorld your enemy! Not only are the humans fighting you, but so is every single Digimon in this world. We stand here now, with the light and hopes of all Digimon in DigiWorld, ready to fight for our home! You can't win!"

MaloMyotismon only laughed. "Your meaningless little gathering of fools doesn't frighten me. It doesn't matter how many of you there are! You'll never defeat me! _Screaming Darkness!_"

The waves of black energy washed over the crowd of Digimon, causing them to flinch and in some cases cry out in fear and pain. But they fought to stay standing, bracing themselves against the darkness and willing themselves to somehow become stronger.

"We have to fight it, Mimi." Palmon groaned, looking to the portal that led to the Real World. "But I need your help!"

"_I'm right here for you, Palmon!" _Mimi's voice somehow echoed through the air. More voices rose up out of thin air, recognizable only by the Digimon who knew them so well.

"_Tortomon!"_

"_Centarumon!"_

"_Frigimon!"_

"_Syakomon!"_

"_Apemon!"_

"_Meramon!"_

"_Crabmon!"_

"_Floramon!"_

"_Unimon!"_

"_Snimon!"_

"_Kuwagamon!"_

"_Gotsumon!"_

Streams of bright golden lights shot down from the Real World and into the Digital World, hitting the Digimon that stood all around the canyon. The Digimon became enveloped in the glows and suddenly the darkness became drowned in it.

"Wait!" MaloMyotismon gasped in genuine surprise. "What's happening?!" He stopped his flow of darkness to the Real World so he could cover his face. "The light! It's blinding! No! It can't be!"

"Hey look." T.K. breathed. "He's in pain."

"The light of the Digimon is winning!" Yolei gasped.

"Yeah baby!" Rika punched the air. "He doesn't stand a chance now!"

"Look, all the Digimon have fallen into some kind of trance!" Davis pointed to the hybrid Digimon, and everyone realized the four of them stood quite still as the golden light shot into them as well.

"They're absorbing the energy from the beams of light!" Cody realized. "Like recharging the battery on a laptop!"

"Then let's give them a hand!" Rika pulled out her Digivice and pointed it to her Digimon. The holy golden light shot from the device and right into the white tiger. The rest of the DigiDestined followed suit, shooting the lights from their D3s into their Digimon.

Suddenly, the lights coming from the sky began to disappear as what looked like hundreds of comets rained down. Soon, based on the terrified screams that came from them, it became clear that the "comets" were actually a familiar group of human children.

"Hey!" Mimi called as the kids landed next to their Digimon partners. "Look who we brought! DigiDestined from all over the world!"

"Who would've thought there would be so many?" Matt breathed.

"The gates opened up from all over the world and they came to help us out." Izzy explained.

"And each one of them has a partner Digimon who wants to help out too!" Joe added.

"The bond between the DigiDestined and the Digimon opened up the gates!" Tai realized.

Suddenly, MaloMyotismon's furious growls caught everyone's attention. It was clear that even though the light weakened him and caused him pain, it would take a lot more to defeat him. They leveled the playing field for now, but if they didn't find a way to stop him quickly then everything that just happened would be worth nothing.

"I knew it was true." Noriko sighed sadly. "We were never really meant to be the DigiDestined. We're not good enough."

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked.

"Well we don't have partner Digimon like you guys have." The yellow jacket girl piped up from the strange dimension.

"And all of us are tainted." The older boy noted. "We still carry the Dark Spores inside of us."

"Because of them, the only thing we have to look forward to is more pain." The younger boy said sadly.

A cloud of blackness started seeping into the DigiWorld, floating right to MaloMyotismon and giving him more strength. "Oh no!" Kari gasped. "The darkness is returning!"

"Yes, just keep thinking that way, my children!" MaloMyotismon urged.

"You guys, he's getting stronger!" Ken warned.

"You gotta stop thinking those things!" Rika called to the Dark Spore children.

"It doesn't matter if you don't have partner Digimon!" Davis insisted, giving his full attention to the children. "It doesn't matter if you're not DigiDestined! You don't need any of that stuff to have a really good life!"

"That's easy for you to say." The younger boy scoffed softly. "You have a Digimon."

"We've all got shortcomings to face, and problems we wish we didn't have." T.K. said. "But you can't just lie down and give in to all of your troubles! Look at Ken! He didn't give up when he learned Oikawa was using him."

"What about me?" Rika added, pointing to MaloMyotismon. "That monster killed my family; he's the reason I'm an orphan and had to run away to the Digital World. But I didn't give in to my problems and constantly complain about what happened. Sure, I was sad. But I kept moving on because I wasn't willing to just wallow in my self-pity!"

"Everyone has problems." T.K. continued. "But everyone has good things going for them too!"

"Yeah, but what do _we _have?" the girl asked.

"What about all your hopes?" Davis demanded. "And all of your dreams!"

"I think they're gone." Noriko said sadly.

"Or have been taken away." the young boy said.

Davis groaned exasperatedly. "Geez! Could you kids be a little more negative? The only person who can take your dreams away is you! By giving up on them!"

"So, what's your dream?" the young boy asked innocently.

Davis seemed a little surprised, but put on his usual confident demeanor. "Well, I wanna open a noodle cart!"

Needless to say, Davis's completely serious response caught everyone off-guard, and they stared at their friend as though he had gone insane.

But Davis wouldn't be deterred. "Yeah! What's the matter with that? I want to make the best noodles in the whole wide world!"

"That's great, Davis!" Ken smiled.

"Your dreams make you who you are!" Rika told the Dark Spore children. "They don't have to be astronomically exciting, they just have to be something you want to do! Something you love!"

"Well, actually…." Noriko was smiling now. "I…I always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher."

"Me too!" Kari said with a smile.

MaloMyotismon suddenly shouted in pain, and Davis smirked triumphantly as he turned to the Dark Spore kids. "How about you?"

"A baseball player!" the young boy piped up. MaloMyotismon shouted in pain as his wings disintegrated.

"I've always wanted a bakery." The girl said with a slight blush. "I love the smell of fresh bread." Another shout, and one of MaloMyotismon's arms disappeared.

"I wanted to draw comic books." The older boy said. "But everyone used to laugh at me so I gave up on it." Another scream, and MaloMyotismon's other arm joined its twin.

"I get it." The young boy said as he and the rest of the Dark Spore children began to smile. "We all had dreams, but somehow got the idea that they were worthless. So we gave up on them when we shouldn't have, right?"

"Yeah!" Davis nodded. "You can't let other people talk you out of your dreams!"

"I wish….we hadn't wasted all this time by giving up." Noriko said.

"Don't worry." Yolei assured. "It's never too late to go out and make your dreams become a reality!"

"Do you think that even kids like us can make our dreams come true?" the young boy asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Davis said. "You bet!"

"Even me?" the girl asked, hers and everyone else's smiles getting bigger.

"Absolutely!" the DigiDestined nodded.

"Absolutely, for real?" the Dark Spore kids asked.

"Absolutely, for real." Every Digimon present assured. MaloMyotismon screamed, the lower half of his body disappearing. Not that anyone noticed. They were too busy soaking in the warmth of this moment. Even though there was darkness all around them, the warmth and light in their hearts made it seem like a peaceful night.

"I feel so much happier!" Noriko giggled a little.

"I feel like I can do anything, now!" the older boy laughed as he jumped through the hole and into the Digital World. The rest of the Dark Spore children followed.

"You can if you believe." T.K. reminded him.

"You can do anything if you believe in yourselves." Rika said.

"I do!" the young boy cheered. "I believe in myself now!"

Bright lights erupted at their feet, and they looked down to discover several baby Digimon smiling up at them as though they were old friends. Even the DigiDestined were surprised, although with how their day had been going this really shouldn't have come as too much of a shock.

"Hey there, guys!" a YukimiBotamon called cheerfully.

"Well aren't you glad to meet your partner Digimon?" a Punimon laughed as the baby Digimon jumped up into their respective partner's arms. The Dark Spore kids gasped in shock but also happiness, overwhelmed with joy to be holding the tiny creatures.

Noriko could hardly contain her happiness when a Punimon jumped into her hands. But what really caught her attention was the light in her palm that turned out to be….. "A Digivice?" Turns out, all the Dark Spore children now had Digivices and Digimon partners.

"You guys have your own Digimon now." Rika said happily. "But it's not something to be taken lightly."

"Your Digimon partners are kind of like pets." Baihumon said. "They need to be well taken care of and loved. Do that, and they'll be your best friends for life. Because a Digimon partner isn't just a companion or guardian; they're your family." The white tiger cast a smile to Rika, who returned it. "So you guys have to take real good care of them, all right?"

"We will!" the young boy nodded happily. "We promise!" The other Dark Spore children nodded and voiced their agreements, the lights from their Digivices growing brighter.

"NO!" MaloMyotismon shouted as he finally disappeared and became a cloud of what looked like black smoke. His voice no longer came out angry, but rather very desperate if not fearful. "This can't be happening! These children can't make me disappear! I won't allow it!"

"Quick everybody!" Imperialdramon called. "Use your Digivices and we'll get rid of this pesky darkness forever!"

The DigiDestined quickly obeyed, aiming the holy lights from their Digivices at the Fighter Mode Mega hybrid. The Digimon focused their light and hope on fulfilling the same task, giving all their strength to Imperialdramon. A surge of golden light and energy appeared between the humanoid dragon's claws, his cannon disappearing and reappearing where the sphere once rested. He cocked the mega canon, ready to fire, and aimed it right up for MaloMyotismon's spirit.

"_Giga Crusher!"_

A humongous blast shot from the canon, hitting its mark and causing an explosion of light.

The light died, and MaloMyotismon was no more.

A tense silence…..

…..and everyone erupted into cheers.

The DNA Digivolved Digimon dedigivolved back down to Veemon, Wormmon, Patamon, Armadillomon, Hawkmon, Gatomon, Wizardmon, and Sorcermon. Everyone cheered and laughed and, in a few cases, cried. It was over. Finally, at long last, it was all over. Their greatest enemy, the one enemy that was stronger than any enemy they ever faced, was finally gone. Everyone he ever hurt or killed was finally avenged. It took a lot of work, a lot of hope, and a lot of pure stubbornness, but they finally did it.

A happy ending, like it should be.

"Hey, it's Gennai!" Gatomon's exclamation caught everyone's attention and they turned to see the young digital man had returned.

"I have a present for you. Here." Gennai placed something in Gatomon's paws, and her eyes sparkled with joy and relief.

"It's my tail ring!" she said, quickly slipping it back onto her tail where it belonged.

"Your tail ring was quite an important little item, Gatomon." Gennai explained. "It kept the dark powers of the Digimon Emperor's fortress from growing out of control. And it allowed you all to DNA Digivolve. Since that's not necessary anymore, you get to have it back. But do me a little favor: no big deal, but if you could keep it away from the power hungry, evil creatures looking to take over and destroy the world, that would be great."

"You know, if you had told us this a long time ago, we could've saved ourselves a lot of trouble." Wizardmon pointed out.

"Some things are meant to be mysterious." Gennai shrugged. "But seriously, you truly saved the world. Thank you, to all of you."

"We went to another world, too." T.K. piped up. "Different than the Real or Digital Worlds. What was that weird place?"

"Believe it or not, it's a world that can grant people's wishes." Gennai explained. "Well actually, it _is _the power to grant wishes."

"That _would _explain that whole thing with our Digimon splitting to their different Digivolutions." Rika nodded.

"You know, the Digital World also has some of that power to make dreams come true." Gennai said.

Yolei put a finger to her chin in thought. "So the Digital World is basically a mix of digital data and people's dreams."

"I see." Ken blinked in realization. "And that ocean. Maybe it has the power to bring people's dark thoughts to life."

"What about the Dark Spores?" Yolei asked worriedly. "Shouldn't they all be taken out?"

"No, it's all right." Ken assured, looking to the Dark Spore children. "As long as we believe in ourselves and our dreams, the Dark Spores will remain powerless against us."

"That's great, Ken." Yolei sighed in relief. But it was short-lived when she realized someone was missing. She scanned the crowd and gasped. "Cody! What are you doing?" Everyone turned to see Armadillomon standing at the hole into the dream dimension. Cody could be seen as well, struggling to pull a purple mass along with him.

"Almost there!" Cody groaned a little from the weight on his much smaller frame, struggling to keep a hold on the man. "Don't give up! Get up! You have to try! We're almost in the Digital World!" Everyone ran forward but stopped suddenly when they realized Cody had Oikawa's arm around his shoulders, trying to drag the man towards the Digital World. But something was different about Oikawa. His dark eyes now held so much light and his skin no longer looked grey. In fact, he looked healthier than ever.

Oikawa, though too weak to stand, raised his head and smiled softly. "Thank you….Cody…" His voice came out much weaker than anybody would've liked. "If only I'd had your optimism. I might not have ended up with such a sad fate."

"What's sad is the state you're in now." Wizardmon huffed. "Giving up so soon when you're almost there?" He suddenly jumped through to the dream dimension and took Oikawa's other arm, draping it over his shoulders. "Come on, get on your feet. Cody and I will help you."

Oikawa looked to Wizardmon. "I don't understand. I caused you so much pain for years. How can you forgive me?"

"What's to forgive?" Wizardmon asked with a small smile. "Myotismon was the one who caused me all that pain. He's the one I hated with every bit of data in me. You were an innocent man with an innocent dream, and I could never hate you for that."

"Same here." Rika added, smiling at the man. "It was Myotismon who killed my family, not you. You want to come into the Digital World? Come on in!"

Oikawa smiled, but his face suddenly fell and he stared at the ground. "I wish I could forgive myself like you are able to do so easily. I wish I could've moved on. But I was unable to maintain hope through the bad times and I drowned in my despair. If only I'd had friends like you, or allowed myself to have them."

A bright light came from the ground right in front of the hole, materializing and forming a round, green Digimon with pointed feet, shining blue eyes, a small blush in his cheeks, and what looked like a leaf on his head.

"Yukio!" the baby Digimon cried happily.

Oikawa looked up in confusion. "What's this?"

"Who is this Digimon?" Cody asked.

"I'm Datirimon!" the green Digimon introduced. "I'm Yukio's partner Digimon!"

The DigiDestined gave a collective gasp in shock. "Oikawa's partner Digimon?" Ken repeated.

"Hey! Check it out!" Davis called happily. "This little guy's here for you, Oikawa!"

Oikawa's eyes shined with unshed tears. "He's mine?"

"It's been a long time!" Datirimon said cheerfully. "I've been waiting practically forever!"

Oikawa finally smiled, feeling his heart swell with joy. "He's mine! I don't believe it!"

Datirimon frowned worriedly. "Wait a minute. Don't you remember me?"

"Of course." Oikawa assured. "I remember you. It's just been so long since I've seen you. Since my happier days with Hiroki."

Datirimon smiled again. "Well, better late than never! Come into the Digital World!"

Oikawa made the slightest move forward, only to collapse a bit in pain. Wizardmon and Cody fought to keep him up. "This is your chance!" Cody urged. "All you have to do is stand up and walk into the Digital World! Come on!"

"He may not have the strength, Cody." Gennai said solemnly. "His body was badly damaged by having MaloMyotismon inside of him. I'm afraid he doesn't have much time left."

"But no!" Cody cried, not wanting to believe it.

"We can't just let him die!" Wizardmon snapped. "Sorcermon! Get over here and heal him!"

"Right!" Sorcermon nodded, moving towards them. But Oikawa looked up and locked his dark eyes with Sorcermon's icy ones. The snow Majin paused, a quiet understanding passing between him and his creator.

"Sorcermon, come on!" Wizardmon ordered. But Sorcermon wouldn't move, standing right next to Datirimon.

"Don't ever let go of that compassionate heart, Wizardmon." Oikawa instructed in a weak voice. "Don't let anger or fear or sadness force you away from the ones you love."

Wizardmon stared at the man. "Oikawa….."

Oikawa looked past the DigiDestined. "Is that the Digital World? It seems so….rough, somehow. Unfinished."

"A lot of energy was used up to defeat MaloMyotismon." Gennai explained. "And as a result, the Digital World itself has been weakened. I'm afraid it's going to take a lot of hard work to get it back to the way it used to be before all of this happened."

"Well, we can do it." Rika said hopefully. "I mean, it's been remodeled a few times, but somehow we'll get it back to the way it was. Just needs a little elbow grease." Even with how hopeful she tried to sound, everyone knew it would take a whole lot of "elbow grease" to fix this up. It was worse than what the Dark Masters did.

Oikawa stared at it. The world he and Hiroki dreamed of visiting. But this wasn't the same world they imagined. It was his fault; if only he had denied Myotismon four years ago. There had to be some way to fix it. Some way to make his and Hiroki's dream come true. "The power of the other world…."

"The other world?" Yolei repeated curiously.

"We can use it to make dreams come true." Oikawa reminded her.

"So what do you plan to do?" Kari asked worriedly, praying Oikawa wouldn't do what she thought he would.

Unfortunately, he did. "My body is too weak to go on, but I won't need it." Oikawa said, suddenly beginning to glow.

"Wait!" T.K. cried desperately. "There must be another way!"

"Sorcermon!" Wizardmon shouted. "Heal him! Do it now before we lose him!" Sorcermon still didn't move, glaring at the ground. "Sorcermon!"

"He doesn't want it!" Sorcermon snapped, tears springing up in his eyes. Wizardmon growled a little in frustration, hot tears building up behind his eyes.

Cody noticed Oikawa's arm begin to disappear, and soon the rest of him began to follow. "Hold on to your optimism, your dreams, and especially your friends, Cody." Oikawa told the boy with a smile. "Perhaps if I had been more like you, I could've had adventures too."

"You still can!" Cody cried desperately. "You finally made it to the Digital World and found your partner Digimon, didn't you? Mr. Oikawa!" But too late, the man's body turned to a stream of dust that seemed to glow, floating into the Digital World. Cody stared at where the man once knelt beside him, feeling his heart shatter to pieces. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks. Wizardmon's fists clenched, fighting the sorrowful tears that forced their way out.

The glowing dust circled around Sorcermon, Oikawa's voice coming from it. _"Sorcermon. I have one final request for you. Watch over Datirimon for me. Make sure he's safe and take care of."_

Sorcermon wiped his eyes dry on his sleeve and lifted the green baby Digimon into his arms. "I will. I promise. He'll always be safe and happy with me and my family." The dust seemed to swirl faster and jump a bit, as though Oikawa smiled. Then it floated up into the sky and away from the DigiDestined.

"Are you going so soon?" Datirimon called after his human partner. "But we just met again!"

"_Don't worry. I'll always be inside here in the Digital World. I shall protect it."_

Before everyone's eyes, the glowing life force became a flurry of thousands of butterflies, which flew off away and into the distance to restore the Digital World to its former glory. Not a single eye was dry in the crowd that watched the butterflies go; even the Digimon cried for the man who literally gave his life to their home. Everything would go back to normal; things would get better. But at what cost? Too great, in many opinions. But deep down, everyone there knew that Oikawa was finally happy and at peace. They tried to remember that, even when his final words caused more tears of sorrow and joy.

"_Goodbye DigiDestined. And thank you!"_

* * *

><p><em>TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER<em>

"'Oikawa transformed himself into energy and used his life force to revitalize the Digital World. He restored all of the beauty that was almost completely destroyed by MaloMyotismon. And Oikawa's spirit is still there protecting the Digital World forever.'"

T.K. leaned back in his chair, reading over the final paragraph a few times before smiling in satisfaction. _Yeah. That sounds great. A perfect ending to the book._

"Hey Dad!"

T.K. turned to his son at the door, a wide smile on the young boy's face. "Come on, already! We have to go!"

"Right." T.K. nodded, standing. "We don't want to be late." He followed his son out of the office and towards the door. Patamon and T.K.'s son's Digimon, Tokomon, hurriedly followed their partners as they exited the apartment and walked to the nearest portal station to get to the Digital World.

In the twenty-five years that passed since their battle with MaloMyotismon, a lot of big changes occurred in both the world and in the DigiDestined. Now everyone in the Real World knew about the Digital World and had a partner Digimon. It certainly made life interesting for the first decade everyone took to get used to it. Now, it seems hard to believe there was once life without Digimon at all.

As T.K., his son, and their Digimon traveled up the path, the first thing they heard was the sound of a violin and an ocarina flute, accompanied by many voices singing all-too-familiar lyrics. The only thing that could've stopped the musicale was another familiar sound.

"Hey everybody, look!" Tai's son called. "It's T.K.!"

T.K. waved to his friends and their children as he approached, taking into account that everyone except Davis and his son had arrived. _Typical. Like father like son. _T.K. thought with a smile. Rika waved as she stowed away her violin and Wizardmon tucked his flute into a pocket. T.K. took one more look around at everyone. While contact with the Digital World brought plenty of changes, the one thing that hadn't changed a bit was the friendship the DigiDestined shared. Despite leading different lives, they still got together for some of the happiest times of their lives. All of their children became the closest of friends, just like their parents.

T.K. became a novelist. His latest works were a series of books chronicling the adventures of the DigiDestined in the Digital World. His publisher is convinced it will be fiction, despite T.K. insisting that everything is absolutely true.

Tai and Agumon, surprisingly enough, became diplomats. They deal with relations between the Real and Digital Worlds. Tai finally cut his hair, but that didn't stop his son from growing it out all crazy like his father once did.

Matt's band slowly but surely became a huge success, with Gabumon as their mascot. They do a lot of traveling in both the Real and Digital Worlds, giving concerts and teaching music. Matt and Sora were married soon after graduating college.

Sora and Biyomon became fashion designers, taking inspiration from Sora's mother's ikebana practice. Biyomon is always saying their new line is "just to die for," not counting the disaster that was the porcupine needle dress.

Joe continued to study medicine and actually became the DigiWorld's first doctor. He's a huge success, and he travels the DigiWorld often to check up on patients. Now if only they'd stop eating his tongue depressors.

Mimi's cooking show is the only time she takes off her cowgirl hat. Which is a good thing, considering some of her experimental dishes tended to explode on her. But with the help of Palmon and her mother, the show reached top ratings within a few weeks.

Izzy does research on the DigiWorld with Jim and Sora's father, trying to find out everything he can about it with their and Tentomon's help. He and his daughter have their own language.

Kari became a teacher, just like she dreamed she would. Now she actually likes to go to school, but she prefers to take her class on field trips. Gatomon became the class pet, always by Kari's side. The kids love her to death, which sometimes becomes an issue when they keep grabbing her tail.

Yolei and Ken got married and had three kids. Ken and Stingmon became detectives, although Yolei says they can't seem to "detect" when it's their turn to do the dishes. Yolei still helps out around her family's store, but prefers to stay at home with her kids. Hawkmon became a regular nanny.

Cody, following as closely in his father's footsteps without worrying his mother, became a defense attorney. He quickly rose to the top as the best in law and rarely loses a case. But he's had to buy a hundred briefcases because Armadillomon keeps sitting on them.

Davis finally opened his noodle cart with Veemon right by his side. It became a huge success, with copies of his carts all over the world. His son inherited Tai's goggles, just as his father did, and the young boy promised to live up to the expectations. So far, things had been going pretty well.

Rika, Wizardmon, and Sorcermon reside permanently in the Digital World, living with Witchmon and her family in Witchmon Manor. They work closely with the Digimon Sovereign to protect the Digital World from ultra-evil Digimon causing trouble; they also serve as guardians and teachers to the DigiDestined children when they come to the Digital World. Rika and FlameWizardmon became the first human/Digimon spouses. Together they adopted a young human girl who ended up becoming Datirimon's human partner. To this day, the DigiDestined are convinced she's the reincarnation of Oikawa, and so her parents named her Yuki.

"Hey everybody!" Davis called as he and his son finally arrived. "Sorry we're late!"

"It was expected." Rika shrugged. "Well, now that all the fresh meat is here, shall we get going?"

"Rika." Wizardmon groaned with a smile hidden under his cowl. "I thought we talked about you calling them 'fresh meat.'"

"Yeah, your witch outfit enough scares them." Sorcermon added. "No need to completely freak them out."

"I see no harm in what I say." Rika shrugged.

"Rika." Wizardmon intoned, still smiling. Rika only laughed; so did everyone else.

"What are you doing here standing with your dad?" Davis asked his son playfully. "Go play tag!"

"Yeah, go show 'em what tag's all about!" Veemon encouraged.

"All right!" Davis's son nodded, turning to his friends. "So are you guys ready?" The children nodded excitedly.

"Then what're we doing standing here for?" Yuki laughed. "Let's go!"

"Last one to the lake is It!" Datirimon called, spurring the children, Rika, and their Digimon to run/fly off. The DigiDestined watched fondly, remembering their youthful days doing something similar. They were still having adventures. They were just a little different than the ones they had as children. But it was a good life, so what did they have to complain about?

The darkness in the Digital World has not been conquered. It continues to fight against the light as it will forever. Gatomon and Wizardmon spend a lot of time together, the hosts of the Angels of Light and Darkness learning to control the spirits within them. Rika has taught the DigiDestined's children many times about how there is good darkness and bad darkness and the importance of balance in the Digital and Real Worlds. But every so often she, Wizardmon, and Sorcermon will come across an evil Digimon trying to hurt others. It's become nerve-wracking a couple times, especially when Rika comes to Joe with serious wounds in need of healing.

But the one thing Rika and the rest of the DigiDestined emphasize is their most important lesson. As long as people remember to follow their dreams, evil will be kept at bay. It is up to the children of the DigiDestined and children everywhere to follow their dreams.

Who knows where they'll end up?

**THE END**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow. What a project! This is one of my longest (and dare I say best) pieces I've written. I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm starting a couple different projects right now, one of them being a series of one-shots related to this story. The other is a story for TMNT, which you can read if you want but you certainly don't have to.**

**Thank you all for your support and I hope you enjoyed this story!**


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